'The acquisition offers Torrent the opportunity to enhance its presence in dermatology with a differentiated portfolio and is a strong strategic fit,' said Torrent executive director Aman Mehta. 'Curatio has built a commendable set of high market share brands in cosmetic and pediatric dermatology that we look forward to adding to our product offerings.' Curatio Healthcare boasts about 50 dermatology brands in its portfolio marketed towards the hair, scalp and face, as well as a line devoted to young children and sensitive skin. The 17-year-old company has a slew of medicated body washes and hair products as well as off-the-shelf brands. Cosmetic dermatology, like treating acne, brittle hair and wrinkles, has been on the rise in India. The private markets saw over $111 billion in venture investment in 2021, a 281% leap from the year prior, according to Crunchbase data. Though funding has died down in 2022, so far startups in the space have seen more than $36 million in funding, a sizable increase from years prior to 2021....

The company plans to use the money to expand—adding laboratories in Texas, Florida and Arizona—as well as grow its research on skin care diagnostics. PathologyWatch is also working on artificial intelligence technology that could help diagnose patients, once it gains Food and Drug Administration approval. The number of skin samples sent to the startup’s laboratories have quadrupled over the last year, Dan Lambert, CEO and cofounder told Crunchbase News. “As digital dermatopathology continues to grow, it has the potential to reduce the costs of pathology by billions while creating better patient care for everyone across the country,” Lambert said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be winning so much volume so quickly.” PathologyWatch’s platform includes its private laboratories where tests on patient biopsies can be prepared, evaluated by pathologists and scanned with reports on the findings that are accessible online at all times. The result is a more “democratized” health care operation that can make it easier to collaborate with other pathologists, and improve turnaround times and access to care, company leaders and investors say....