Oct 23 (Reuters) - London-based startup SheMed, which

offers personalized weight-loss plans using popular medicines

Wegovy and Mounjaro, said on Thursday it has raised $50 million

in its Series A funding round to expand its operations across

the United Kingdom.

Demand for Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's ( LLY )

Mounjaro has surged across Britain, with patients often

facing longer wait times to access the treatments through the

National Health Service.

Founded in April 2024 by sisters Olivia and Chloe Ferro,

SheMed has added over 60,000 members in less than a year.

"The demand for SheMed's services has been extraordinary,"

said Olivia Ferro, who holds the CEO position at the company.

Women make up a majority of patients that use GLP-1 drugs,

the class of treatments to which Mounjaro and Wegovy belong.

SheMed offers programs that combine these branded medicines

with support tailored to each woman's needs and includes

comprehensive health screenings as well as ongoing support.

While other telehealth platforms rely on information about

body mass index submitted by patients, SheMed uses blood tests

to evaluate whether a patient qualifies for GLP-1 treatment

plans.

Most of its new customers have opted for treatment with

Wegovy over Mounjaro in recent months, owing to Lilly's recent

price increase for the weight-loss drug in the UK, a company

spokesperson said. Several of its existing customers who were

using Mounjaro also chose to move to Wegovy.

Funds from this round will also be used to support new

research and other initiatives for improving access to

personalised care for women across the UK, the company said.

SheMed is planning to publish a study later this month based

on data from the women who have enrolled in their programmes to

understand the effect of GLP-1 medications on hormonal and

metabolic health beyond the loss of weight.