Meet Mirvie, a startup developing a blood test to detect pregnancy complications

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and today in healthcare news:

• Meet Mirvie, a startup developing a blood test to detect pregnancy complications;
• Sen. Klobuchar's thoughts on M&A should worry Big Pharma;
• Cigna's working with Ginger to expand mental-health access to its members.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at [email protected] or tweet @lydiaramsey125. Let's get to it…

A former Grail exec and the president of the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative are developing a blood test to help expectant mothers understand the chances of pregnancy complications

• Mirvie is developing a blood test for expectant mothers to predict pregnancy complications.
• It was founded in 2018 by former Grail exec Maneesh Jain and Chan Zuckerberg Biohub President Dr. Stephen Quake.
• The company is conducting clinical trials and plans to apply for approval for its liquid biopsy tests.

Get the scoop>>

3 takeaways from a top Democratic senator's new book on monopolies that should have Big Pharma worried

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar is calling for an overhaul of US M&A and monopoly policies in a new book.
• The Federal Trade Commission, meanwhile, has begun more heavily scrutinizing biopharma M&A.
• Funds such as BlackRock and Fidelity owning shares in competing firms harms competition, she says.

More here>>

One of the nation's biggest insurers wants to make mental-health care available to more people. Here's how Cigna plans to tap Ginger's network of coaches to do it.

• Cigna is partnering with mental-health care startup Ginger to offer its services to Cigna members.
• Patients will have access to Ginger's network of mental health coaches and therapists.
• Ginger believes its coaches could help alleviate the pandemic-induced demand placed on licensed therapists.

Here's how>>

More stories we're reading:

• CDC: Fully vaccinated people can go maskless outside to exercise, dine, or socialize (Insider)
• Vaccine resistance might not be the reason for the recent vaccination plateau (Stat News)
• How SPAC insiders can make millions even if the company they take public - in this case a healthcare services company - falters (The Wall Street Journal)
• The CEO of major health insurer Humana, which is buying Kindred, laid out why he's betting big on primary care (Insider)
• The COVID-19 vaccine side effects to expect if you're in your 20s or 30s (Insider)

- Lydia