Benzinga | Jun 30, 2021 09:31AM EDT

INVO Bioscience Reports Joint Venture Deal With Bloom Fertility To Open An INVOcell Fertility Clinic In Atlanta

INVO Bioscience and established reproductive specialist Dr. Sue Ellen Carpenter, MD of Bloom Fertility today announce their partnership to make INVOcell, an innovative technology that allows early embryo development to take place within the woman's body, more accessible to the substantial underserved patient population suffering from infertility.

This fourth North American agreement further expands INVO Bioscience's strategy to open new clinics focused on its INVOcell technology, adding industry capacity, and providing greater access with its effective and affordable advanced fertility treatment option.

SARASOTA, Fla. and ATLANTA, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- INVO Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:INVO), a medical device company focused on commercializing the world's only in vivo Culture System (IVC), INVOcell(r), an effective and affordable treatment for patients diagnosed with infertility, today announced the signing of a joint venture agreement in partnership with reproductive specialist Dr. Sue Ellen Carpenter, M.D. through its wholly-owned subsidiary, INVO Centers, LLC, to open an INVO clinic in Atlanta. The clinic, Bloom Fertility, is scheduled to open in the second half of 2021.



The Company signed clinic partnerships in Birmingham, Alabama and the San Francisco Bay area earlier this year, along with its Mexico partnership in late 2020, which is scheduled to open later this year. These clinics, through the utilization of the INVOcell technology, in addition to the multiple clinic and distribution partnerships throughout the world are bringing advanced fertility care and much needed expanded access to the millions of underserved people.

"I am thrilled to be opening a clinic in Atlanta to provide INVOcell to the many patients that suffer from infertility," said Dr. Carpenter. "INVOcell allows my patients to have a connected, intimate experience, and provides a simple workflow for my lab and clinic so I can efficiently treat more patients in need. As someone who has dedicated their life to helping people reach their goal of parenthood, INVOcell offers an effective and affordable treatment for the large number of patients that remain underserved."

Dr. Sue Ellen Carpenter, MD, is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. With over 30 years of experience in reproductive medicine, Dr. Carpenter's specialties include in vitro fertilization, treating congenital anomalies associated with infertility, as well as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Noted for excellence in her field and a "Top Doctor, Atlanta 2019 and 2020" she delivers lectures across the country and has published more than a dozen papers on reproduction and fertility. She is an active member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) as well as the Georgia OB GYN Society.

Steve Shum, CEO of INVO Bioscience, commented, "We are excited to be working with Dr. Carpenter, a leading reproductive endocrinology and infertility doctor, to establish an INVOcell clinic in Atlanta. This additional partnership advances our mission of democratizing fertility care, lowering key barriers and providing greater access to help the significant number of patients throughout the world who need advanced fertility care to start their families. We are also pleased to report that as a result of identifying a suitable location, which was already built out and for which we have now executed a lease, we expect this new Atlanta clinic to move quickly toward becoming operational well before the end of this year".

"Our team has performed well at moving these important INVO clinic initiatives forward to reality with several planned openings on the near horizon. We also believe the INVO clinic partnership efforts provide an exciting alternative clinic option utilizing our unique INVOcell incubation technology, which also positions us well (via our ownership participation) beyond just being a medical device company and providing multiple recurring revenue sources. In a multi-billion dollar industry with a substantial underserved patient market, it is our belief that adding new, efficient, and affordable INVO based clinics is the future to expanding access and care. And, we have active discussions ongoing with additional potential partners to further advance our footprint globally," concluded Shum.

The U.S. INVO clinic agreements are in addition to the distribution agreement the Company previously signed with Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a leader in women's health and signed in early 2019, to broadly commercialize INVOcell across the United States.

INVO Bioscience will provide funding for start-up and operating costs and own 40% of the Atlanta Joint Venture.