Fast Company last month released the 2023 edition of its "World's Most Innovative Companies" list, which recognizes over 500 organizations, including several companies across various healthcare-related industries.

Honorees

This year's list recognizes 540 organizations across 54 sectors that "showcase inspiring, insightful stories well beyond the current hot thing," according to Fast Company.

In the top 50 most innovative companies, there are seven companies that fall into the publication's "medicines and therapeutics," "healthcare," "biotech," and "wellness" categories:

• Bristol Myers Squibb (No. 18) for obtaining three new FDA drug approvals and attempting to improve clinical trial diversity, supplier diversity, and workforce representation through significant investments
• Folx Health (No. 28) for "making gender-affirming care standard" through its virtual primary care and LGBTQ+-specific services from specialized providers
• Cityblock Health (No. 29) for providing healthcare services to Medicaid and lower-income Medicare beneficiaries, who are often overlooked
• Maven Clinic (No. 30) for "ensuring that women have access to fundamental healthcare," ranging from OB/GYN visits to egg freezing and menopause benefits
• Hazel Health (No. 31) for bringing pediatric healthcare services to school, allowing all children to get high-quality care "regardless of hurdles like family income, insurance status, and other social determinants of health"
• Ultima Genomics (No. 33) for developing a new way to sequence the human genome, significantly reducing costs from $1,000 to $100
• Eight Sleep (No. 43) for using sleep technology to help people optimize their sleep cycles

Fast Company also ranked the top 10 innovative companies in each sector. In the "biotech" sector, the 10 most innovative companies are:

1. Ultima Genomics
2. 10X Genomics for being a leader in "spatial transcriptomics" and developing "super-precise mapping of gene activity in time and space" to create more targeted, effective disease treatments
3. iSpecimen for creating a global marketplace to allow researchers to source millions of biological samples
4. DNAnexus for creating a cloud-based data analysis and management platform for DNA sequencing data that is used by some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies and diagnostic developers
5. Akadeum for helping accelerate the cell separation process for CAR-T cancer therapies
6. Abcam for being a leading supplier of synthetic antibodies in life sciences research
7. Recursion for using "state-of-the-art lab automation and machine learning to empower novel drug discoveries"
8. Emulate for pioneering organ-on-chip technology for research and drug development
9. Colossal Biosciences for working to genetically preserve living animal species at risk, as well as attempting to bring back long extinct species, such as the wooly mammoth
10. Metagenomi for using AI to identify new gene editing systems that could be used to develop new genetic medicines

In the "healthcare" sector, the 10 most innovative companies are:

1. Folx Health
2. Cityblock Health
3. Maven Clinic
4. Hazel Health
5. Wisp for helping making abortion accessible through telehealth after the rollback of Roe v. Wade
6. Bicycle Health for using telehealth to help people access opioid treatments
7. Overjet for using AI software to help dentists make diagnoses about cavities and bone loss
8. Level Ex for creating video games that train doctors on different procedures and treatments, reaching over 1 million medical professionals and students in 2022
9. DiRX for making prescription drugs more affordable by buying generic medications directly from manufacturers
10. Oula for being a "modern maternity clinic" that allows OB/GYNs and midwives to work collaboratively on prenatal, birth, and postpartum care

In the "medical devices" sector, the 10 most innovative companies are:

1. Scopio Labs for developing an AI platform to automatically analyze peripheral blood smear tests, making it possible to process samples much more quickly
2. Medical Microinstruments for its robotic Symani Surgical System that allows surgeons to operate on nerves and blood vessels as small as 1 mm
3. Xenco Medical for creating the single-use "Multilevel CerviKit" that eliminates long sterilization times and reduce cross-contamination between cervical spine surgeries
4. Bigfoot Biomedical for creating a smarter diabetes management system that also allows doctors to monitor patients and make new recommendations as needed
5. Integrum for creating the bone-anchored ORA Implant System which allows people with prosthetics to have better movement and control
6. Tivic Health for creating the ClearUp device, which was approved by FDA in 2019 to eliminate sinus pain, sinus headaches, and congestion through electrical stimulation
7. Circadia Health for developing a "contactless radar sensor that allows for 24/7, continuous, non-invasive vital signs measurement, without any input required by clinical staff"
8. Freespira for designing a breathing sensor that helps patient "normalize their breathing and reduce panic attacks and PTSD symptoms"
9. BrainsWay for using deep transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression, OCD, and smoking addiction
10. Ceribell for creating a portable brain monitor that allows doctors to quickly see brain-wave activity and diagnose seizures

In the "medicines and therapeutics" sector, the 10 most innovative companies are:

1. Bristol Myers Squibb
2. Idorsia for developing Quviviq, a medication that was approved by FDA in 2022 to treat insomnia
3. Novartis for its new prostate cancer treatment Pluvicto, which uses a radioactive atom and a tumor-specific molecule to target cancer cells
4. Argenx for developing Vyvygart, a novel treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis, a rare and debilitating neuromuscular autoimmune disease
5. Alnylam for developing RNA interference therapies, such as Amvuttra, which treats neuropathy in people with hereditary amyloidosis, a rare, rapidly progressive, and often fatal disease
6. Axsome Therapeutics for developing Auvelity, a new fast-acting treatment for major depressive disorder
7. Novavax for creating a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine that expands access to more people around the world
8. Daiichi Sankyo for "pinpoint-targeting cancer mutations" through its novel oncology drug Enhertu and its next-gen sequencing test
9. Ferring Pharmaceuticals for being the first drugmaker to receive FDA approval for a live fecal microbiota treatment called Reboyta
10. Roche for developing Vabysmo, an injectable drug that treats diabetic muscular edema and age-related macular degeneration

In the "wellness" sector, the 10 most innovative companies are:

1. Eight Sleep
2. Reframe for creating an app that helps people who are struggling with alcohol reduce their drinking, track their progress, and receive community support and coaching
3. Cleo for providing a way for parents to "fill in the gaps" of their health plans, including for caregiver support, end-of-life-care, and more
4. Tabu for "destigmatizing sexual wellness among older women," including by providing education and support
5. Throne HealthTech for creating at-home kits that allow people to test their gut health and make changes as needed
6. Premier Dental for creating Izzo, a four-in-one oral care system that helps people improve their dental hygiene
7. Omorpho for its "gravity sportswear" that allows athletes to increase their calorie burn and cardiovascular fitness
8. Whoop for its collaboration with athletic fabric brand TYR to create swimsuits that allow swimmers to track their performance in water
9. Vitruvi for creating natural air fresheners without "harmful propellants, synthetic fragrances, volatile organic compounds, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and other harmful ingredients"
10. Conceive for developing a comprehensive eight-week program to help individuals trying to get- pregnant, providing them with community groups, cycle trackers, one-on-one coaching, and more

(Fast Company, "The World's Most Innovative Companies," 3/2)