Curative Health, a COVID-19 based testing startup, is laying off 109 employees.
Curative filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice with the state of California. The layoffs will take effect in early November. The company has a lab in San Dimas, California.
Curative offers COVID-19 testing services at various locations across the country, both directly to consumers and employers. It also can offer treatment suggestions for patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms via telehealth through a partnership with the digital pharmacy company TruePill.
But as demand for COVID-19 testing services has weakened, Curative is shifting strategies. It’s launching a tech-enabled health plan out of Austin, Texas, that will offer all-hours telemedicine services and same-day prescription delivery. The company recently said it received a certificate of authority from the Texas Department of Insurance to run the plan.
A Curative spokesperson confirmed the layoffs, saying it’s reducing the workforce in some areas of the company and expanding in others as part of its shift.
In late August, Curative acquired Wingspan Health, a medical records app company, for an undisclosed amount. Curative said the acquisition is part of its strategy as an insurtech, providing an app for future members to consolidate information on their various providers.
Other COVID-19 testing companies have similarly faced struggles amid reduced demand and funding for their services. In June, San Diego-based Cue Health laid off 170 people and Menlo Park, California-based startup SummerBio cut 100 jobs.
Curative was founded in 2020 by two University of Oxford graduates, Isaac and Fred Turner, as well as biotech veteran Vlad Slepnev. It has accumulated $8 million in funding.
