Bayer AG today announced a strategic collaboration with Samsung Electronics America, Inc. to address data gaps on sleep disturbances associated with menopause (SDM). The companies will co-develop an observational study to further improve the understanding of the burden and impact of SDM using data provided by women through Samsung consumer devices.
Up to 60% of women experience sleep disturbances during menopausal transition, including difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.(1) SDM can negatively impact women’s health and quality of life, limiting daily activities, including performance at work. Despite this impact on women’s health, current treatments do not specifically address sleep disturbances associated with menopause.
"By joining forces with Samsung and women using their devices, we strive to expand treatment options to support women at all stages of life," said Juergen Eckhardt, M.D., Head of Business Development & Licensing at Bayer's Pharmaceuticals Division. "With one of the world's largest pools of biomarker data collected with wearable devices, Samsung is a perfect partner to further enhance the knowledge base in women's health with real-world evidence."
Together with vasomotor symptoms (also known as VMS or hot flashes) and mood symptoms, sleep disturbances belong to the most frequent and disruptive symptoms associated with menopause. Bayer recently announced positive detailed results from the pivotal OASIS 1 and 2 Phase III studies of its investigational compound elinzanetant which achieved a statistically significant reduction in frequency and severity of VMS over 12 weeks compared to placebo.
The collaboration announced today will leverage Samsung's strong position in consumer wearable technology and leading expertise in sensors and devices to capture relevant digital endpoints.
"We are pleased to be partnering with Bayer to explore the connection between sleep and women's health," said Sumanth Munipalli, Head of Partnerships & Business Development, Digital Health, Samsung Electronics America. "Samsung is building powerful consumer technology to gain meaningful insights into sleeping better. As a foundation of health, good sleep is critical to our overall health and wellbeing across one's health span."
Samsung Health's end-to-end health and wellness platform, which includes its innovative health app and wearables, enables the collection of various biometric data, including temperature, sleep architecture and menstrual cycle.
Financial details were not disclosed.
About Menopause
By 2030, the global population of women experiencing menopause is projected to increase to 1.2 billion, with 47 million women entering this phase each year. Menopause is a transitional phase in women's lives, related to the progressive decline of ovarian function. It usually occurs in women during their 40s or early 50s. It can also be the result of surgical or medical treatment such as breast cancer treatment. The hormonal decline can lead to various symptoms which can substantially affect a woman's health, quality of life, healthcare utilization and work productivity. The most frequently reported and disruptive symptoms during the menopausal transition are VMS, sleep disturbances and mood changes. Addressing these symptoms is key to maintaining functional ability and quality of life in menopause which is highly relevant from both a healthcare and socio-economic perspective.
About Women's Healthcare at Bayer
As a global leader in women's healthcare Bayer has a long-standing commitment to delivering science for a better life by advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments. Bayer offers a wide range of effective short- and long-acting birth control methods as well as therapies for menopause management and gynecological diseases. Bayer is also focusing on innovative options to address the unmet medical needs of women worldwide and to broadening treatment choices such as in menopause. Additionally, Bayer intends to provide 100 million women per year in low-and-middle income countries by 2030 with access to family planning by funding multi-stakeholder aid programs for capacity building and by ensuring the supply of affordable modern contraceptives. This is part of the comprehensive sustainability measures and commitments from 2020 onwards and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, "Health for all, Hunger for none," the company's products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros.1. Nappi, RE; Kroll, R; Siddiqui, E, et al. (2021). Global cross-sectional survey of women with vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause: prevalence and quality of life burden. Menopause; 28 (8): 875-882.