also sells drug developers access to its massive repository of health data it has gleaned from more than a million customers.
RDMD will concentrate on pulling clinical data from charts, medical imaging, prescriptions, and other sources, but only after obtaining the consent of each patient. In addition to neurofibromatosis, the company, with four current full time employees, hopes to build data-sharing platforms for a few more rare diseases in the next year. Faber and Yu decline to say which diseases, except that they will be related to neurology and metabolism.
Unlike Patients Like Me, RDMD isn’t building social-media-like communities for sharing patient information. RDMD has other concerns, as well. “Participation on social forums often creates a liability for pharma companies and a privacy concern for patients,” says Yu.
RDMD is working with the same data privacy attorney who has advised 23andMe, she says, but to date her former employer has no formal ties to RDMD.
Lux Capital led the seed round. Other investors included Village Global, First Round’s Healthcare Co-Op, Garuda, Shasta Ventures, and angel investors.
