The most innovative companies in health care, biotech, and more, according to Fast Company Leave a comment

Fast Company on Tuesday released its 2022 edition of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” list, which recognizes hundreds of organizations across 52 sectors, including health care, biotech, medicine/therapeutics, medical device, and wellness. For each sector, the publication included a list of the 10 most innovative companies. In addition, Fast Company recognized the top 50 most innovative companies overall. 

Honorees

Fast Company‘s overall top 50 list features four companies that fall into the publication’s categories of “health,” “medicine/therapeutics,” or “medical devices”:

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• GlaxoSmithKline (No. 31) for developing Mosquirix, the world’s first malaria vaccine and the first vaccine for a parasitic disease
• Walgreens (No. 33) for its Walgreens Health initiative, which will expand the company’s partnership with VillageMD to open Village Medical primary care clinics at Walgreens locations, with the goal of opening 200 clinics by the end of 2022
• Biotricity (No. 44) for the development of Bioflux, a wearable electrocardiogram that continuously collects and transmits cardiac data
• Brightline (No. 47) for offering teletherapy to children and families to treat anxiety, depression, ADHD, disruptive behavior, and speech disorders

In the “health” sector, the 10 most innovative companies, according to Fast Company, are:

1. Walgreens
2. Brightline
3. Northwell Health for putting Amazon Echo devices into patient rooms so doctors can quickly and easily communicate with patients remotely, limiting Covid-19 transmission
4. Olive for developing artificial intelligence technology to improve hospital operations and patient care
5. Illumina for developing Covid-19 genetic sequencing tests to help track coronavirus variants
6. Natera for the development of Signatera, a blood test that detects circulating tumor DNA to determine whether a cancer patient is responding to immunotherapies
7. Color for developing a Covid-19 test that’s delivered more than 20 million results nationwide and delivering 1.7 million Covid-19 vaccinations in California and Massachusetts
8. Folx Health for providing telehealth services to the transgender community
9. Johnson & Johnson MedTech for developing online training for surgeons, including a library of more than 30,000 videos in which 350 surgeons teach new surgical techniques
10. K Health for launching a pediatric program allowing parents to text with a doctor at any time of the day. Doctors are then able to diagnose and prescribe medication director to a pharmacy, allowing parents to skip an in-person doctors’ office visit

In the “biotech” sector, the 10 most innovative companies, according to Fast Company, are: 

1. TMRW Life Sciences for developing the first automated platform for storing, managing, and caring for frozen eggs and embryos use in the IVF process
2. Strata Oncology for launching the StrataNGS 429-gene assay, which profiles solid tumors to determine which therapies would be most effective for patients
3. DNA Script for developing Enzymatic DNA Synthesis, an alternative to traditional chemical DNA synthesis, which allows for the creation of longer DNA strands than other methods
4. Emulate for developing the Colon Intestine-Chip, which allows researchers to investigate inflammatory intestinal diseases, and the Emulate Brain-Chip, which provides a realistic model of cell types in the brain, allowing researchers to investigate how neuroinflammation works and determine the efficacy of drug candidates aiming to pierce the blood-brain barrier
5. LightDeck Diagnostics for developing a cartridge-based testing system allowing samples to be tested nearly anywhere, quickly, with lab-quality accuracy
6. Benchling for developing a life sciences research and development cloud platform, allowing researchers to design, analyze, and develop RNA therapeutics collaboratively
7. Myriad Genetics for developing the first test for BRCA gene mutations, which can increase a person’s risk of developing breast cancer
8. Biome Makers for analyzing the soil microbiome of farmland using DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and intelligent computing
9. Safetraces for developing a DNA-based test for airborne diseases
10. BridgeBio Pharma for using a “portfolio model” for drug development

In the “medicine/therapeutics” sector, the 10 most innovative companies, according to Fast Company, are:

1. GlaxoSmithKline
2. Viatris for developing Semglee, the first interchangeable biosimilar for insulin approved by FDA
3. Mithra Pharmaceuticals for developing Nextstellis, a plant-based birth control pill with fewer side effects
4. ViiV Healthcare for developing Cabenuva, a once-every-two-month infection for the treatment of HIV
5. AstraZeneca for developing Evusheld, a pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment to serve as a Covid-19 vaccine alternative for immunocompromised people who may or already have had adverse side effects to Covid-19 vaccines
6. Big Health for developing a sleep assistance app with a 70% efficacy rate utilized by the UK’s National Health Service and the Scottish National Health Service
7. Scynexis for developing Brexafemme, the first non-azole treatment for vaginal yeast infections
8. Hinge Health for developing an online platform that utilizes exercise therapy and digital coaching for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain
9. Amgen for developing Lumakras, the first treatment for a specific type of lung cancer tumor that accounts for 25% of all non-small cell lung cancers
10. Akili Interactive for developing EndeavorRx, the first digital therapeutic for ADHD

In the “medical device” sector, the 10 most innovative companies, according to Fast Company, are:

1. Biotricity
2. Shockwave Medical for its intravascular lithotripsy device which uses sonic technology to break up kidney stones and safely remove calcified plaque from arteries
3. Eko for its AI-powered digital stethoscope/electrocardiogram that allows physicians to better detect heart irregularities
4. CleanSpace Technology for its CleanSpace HALO respirator that is 40 times more effective at filtration than an N95 mask
5. Bolder Surgical, which was acquired by Hologic in 2021, for creating a microsurgical Swiss army knife that allows surgeons to perform larparoscopic surgery more safely and efficiently
6. Virtusense Technologies for its predictive, AI-powered VSTOne platform that helps prevent falls in the hospital
7. Ambu for its array of single-use scopes that allow for a safer approach to endoscopies
8. Xandar Kardian for its ultra-wideband impulse radar that allows patients to be continually monitored without a wearable device
9. Vivos Therapeutics for its FDA-cleared device that allows doctors, dentists, and patients to collaboratively treat sleep apnea
10. Echonous for expanding the scope of point-of-care ultrasound with Lexsa, a 128-channel linear probe

In the “wellness” sector, the 10 most innovative companies, according to Fast Company, are:

1. Genexa for cleaning up medicine cabinets of artificial filler ingredients through its line of over-the-counter medications for pain, allergy relief, and cold and flu
2. Eight Sleep for helping people maximize their rest and recovery through their high-tech “Pod” bed and their AI-powered SleepOS
3. Obé Fitness for making exercise more entertaining and enjoyable by combining streaming services with live and on-demand exercise classes
4. Paceline for rewarding healthy lifestyle choices by offering users rewards and discounts from some of their favorite brands
5. Therabody for letting amateur athletes rest and recover like professional with its Theragun percussive massage tool and the RecoveryAir Pro, a medical-grade pneumatic compression system
6. Clmbr for allowing adventurous fitness junkies to experience the heights of rock climbing through the comforts of their own homes
7. Tripp for making psychedelic therapy more accessible through its immersive meditation sessions powered by virtual reality and augmented reality
8. Attn: Grace for redefining what it means to age gracefully through its designs for personal-care items such as high-performance liners, pads, briefs, and more
9. Bande for recreating the “boutique in-studio [exercise] experience” through a new virtual landscape, allowing people to bond with their fellow fitness buffs even at home
10. Rose Los Angeles for elevating cannabis to “absurd gastronomic heights for the refined palette of discerning connoisseurs.” (Fast Company, “The World’s Most Innovative Companies,” accessed 3/9)

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