Hello, Eva Johnsson, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Clinical Development at Gesynta Pharma!

You recently talked about women's health and endometriosis at NLS Days in Gothenburg. What trends are emerging in this field? 

We're observing a trend of growing interest in women's health overall. Awareness of conditions like endometriosis and menopausal symptoms is increasing, and they are gaining recognition among patients, the community, and policymakers. This helps to highlight unmet medical needs for those suffering and presents a significant market opportunity, making it appealing to investors. What's especially notable is that the younger generation is more open about these topics. They no longer accept painful periods or heavy bleeding as just a part of life and are seeking diagnostic tools and treatment much earlier than previous generations did.

What is the biggest challenge in this field?

Awareness remains a significant challenge – among patients, healthcare providers and the public. Symptoms are often overlooked or misdiagnosed, especially for conditions like endometriosis, so gynecology experts should focus more on this issue. We also need to increase R&D efforts to create better non-hormonal, non-opioid treatments and more precise diagnostic tools. It's time to expand and dedicate resources to broader female health diagnoses.

What is the next step for Gesynta Pharma?

These are exciting times for us.  We have just started our pivotal Phase 2 study – the NOVA trial – to investigate the effects of vipoglanstat as a non-hormonal, non-opioid treatment for women with endometriosis. The study will be conducted in seven countries across Europe.

Photo by Camille Sonally from the NLS Days supersession Beyond the Gap: Advancing Women’s Health. From left: Eva Johnsson, Sanne Brun Jensen (BioInnovation Institute) and Pekka Simula (Innovestor Life Science).