By the Hylia! A Wand to Vanquish Cervical Cancer!

A New Quest Begins!

Greetings brave adventurers! Princess Zelda here reporting live from Hyrule... okay maybe not *Hyrule* exactly but the news is still pretty magical! The Food and Drug Administration has just given the green light to the first ever at home test for cervical cancer screening developed by the brilliant minds at Teal Health. This is a bigger deal than finding the Master Sword trust me!

The Teal Wand: Not Just Another Useless Item!

Remember all those times Link found a random stick or a single rupee in a chest? Well this isn't like that at all! The Teal Wand as they call it is designed to be used at home much like a tampon applicator. It's a self administered test that's as easy to use as equipping the Hylian Shield (though hopefully less blocking and more swabbing!). It will allow for a sample to be collected at home for testing rather than in a doctor's office. CEO of Teal Health Kara Egan said that the pandemic "showed everyone that telehealth is a thing that is preferred… and made it easier to get care for most Americans," adding that Covid also demonstrated "at home testing was a thing that people could handle and really understand."

Accuracy Fit for a Hero!

The FDA has even called it a 'breakthrough device' after clinical trials showed its accuracy is comparable to an in office screening. I'm talking 96% accuracy folks! That's like hitting a cucco with a boomerang from across Hyrule Field – impressive! I'm even more impressed by the accuracy than the time Link managed to catch a fairy in a bottle after falling down a bottomless pit. The wand will become available in California starting in June.

Rupees and Coverage: The Money Matters

Teal Health is already talking to insurance companies about covering the test. For most women this should be covered without copays just like an annual doctor's visit. The American Cancer Society says women should get screened every three years starting at age 21. One in four women falls behind on screening especially in rural areas with limited access to doctors. Imagine having to travel across Hyrule just to get a check up! This will change all that! "This is about increasing access to care and making sure we have more options to get that care," Egan said.

Funding: More Than Just Finding Heart Pieces!

In January Teal Health raised $10 million in its latest funding round to help ramp up production for the Teal Wand which was led by Forerunner Ventures and Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective. Overall they've raised $23 million from investors including Serena Williams' Serena Ventures and LabCorp. That's like finding a hidden chest full of rupees – except these rupees are going towards saving lives!

Femtech is Having a Moment! It's Dangerous to Go Alone Innovate!

Investors are increasingly interested in women's health tech. Last year a whopping $680 million was invested across 30 deals. Jen Radin principal in Deloitte's life sciences and health care practice said that Femtech saw 41% growth from 2023 to 2024 outpacing overall health tech which grew only 10%. Maneesha Ghiya managing partner at FemHealth Ventures notes that interest in women's health tech is moving beyond just maternity and menopause. "Many more people are thinking about women's health more broadly and supporting these types of innovations..." This is truly a victory for all women a new era where health is more accessible and convenient. Now if only we could find a way to defeat Ganon as easily as taking this test!