Building the space for prevention: Elan Healthcare’s doctor-led approach to women’s health supplements
Targeting specific conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility, menopause
After years working as a family doctor and then in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Pari Saharkhiz realised that medicine too often waited for disease to appear before acting.
“I was always thinking, if I’m the driver in the seat, I’m going to do this better,” she says.
In 2016, together with pharmaceutical scientist Dr Rasoul Soleimani PhD, she co-founded Elan Healthcare, a nutraceutical research and development company based in Canada. The business develops targeted natural health supplements for specific conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility, menopause and andropause.
“We don’t do generic multivitamins,” she says.
“We do very targeted supplements. While our products are not medications, they are natural health supplements - but they’re very focused on specific conditions.”
Where medicine stopped at treatment
Dr Saharkhiz’s years in family practice made her question how little space traditional healthcare left for prevention or lifestyle-based care.
“If we look at our medical textbooks, there’s not much of the holistic view in it,” she says.
She recalls in her medical training that PCOS received only “ten minutes in one class” at medical school.
As a result of insufficient provider awareness, even today up to 70% of women affected by PCOS remain undiagnosed worldwide. Instead, many cases of PCOS are discovered later when the patient is facing fertility issues, rather than earlier when metabolic or menstrual irregularities present. And ral contraceptives are prescribed.
While oral contraceptives are routinely prescribed for symptom management, for Dr Saharkhiz this misses the real root cause.
“The issue is insulin resistance, not the ovaries. If we can manage blood glucose levels, if we can manage the insulin, the whole cascade changes. After six weeks of the proper protocol, they can have their menstrual cycle back; two or three years down the road they want to have a baby - easy. No IVF, no surgery.”
That realisation became one of Elan Healthcare’s starting points.
“There are natural ingredients that work as well as metformin, which is a drug, but with less side effects,” she says. “So we started at that point.”
A pipeline driven by community demand
From its first PCOS formulation, Elan Healthcare’s portfolio has grown through patient requests.
“Any product that came after that was based on what people were asking us for,” Pari says.
The company now offers around 10 supplements, spanning PCOS, fertility for men and women, menopause and andropause.
“What we have in the pipeline is for endometriosis,” she says. “It’s been with Health Canada for a year, so hopefully in a couple of months we’ll get the final approval and be able to launch next year.”
Another product, targeting sperm motility, is also due for release next year.
Each formula, she says, is unique.
“We avoid ‘me too’ formulas. Every single formula that we have is unique to us - unless somebody copies us down the road, which has happened. If it’s already there, then I don’t need to make that and sell that. It’s about bringing something new to the table.”
Bridging the clinical and wellness divide
Dr Saharkhiz acknowledges that supplements do have their cynics.
“Even now, many doctors are not willing to listen,” she says. “There’s a drug-first mentality: ‘My patient can get medication for free, but they have to pay $50 or $100 for supplements - so they just do the drug.’”
Elan’s answer is to ground every product in existing evidence.
“A lot of the research we do is based on clinical evidence on existing ingredients,” she says. “We collect the data, narrow it down, and then work on the chemistry side - can I mix ingredient A with B, C and D? Will it work together? Will it have synergy or interact? Then we make a single formula.”
Each formulation is then reviewed by Health Canada, which may request changes to ingredient limits before final approval. “It’s a long process,” she says, “but it ensures quality.”
Prevention and awareness
Dr Saharkhiz says she spends a significant amount of time on education and awareness.
“The amount of time I’ve spent talking about PCOS awareness, fertility awareness, menopause awareness - people are just waking up,” she says. “Even five years ago nobody was talking about menopause. Every woman goes through it - 100% - but it was a taboo. Now at least the conversation is starting.”
Looking ahead
With ten products on the market, two new launches expected next year and further research under review, Elan Healthcare is steadily expanding its reach. Its model - data-driven supplements developed by physicians and registered through regulatory review - sits at the intersection of clinical credibility and consumer demand.
“We need the drugs, we need the surgeries,” she says, “but there are ways to plan and prevent, and have a gentle method - before we get into all those chemicals and more aggressive treatments.”
Elan Healthcare is one of nine startups selected for the 2025 Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) FemTech program organised by the High Commission Canada in the UK and the Embassy in Paris, France. This free program provides access to advisors, a peer network, regular masterclasses and a dedicated visit to the UK and France to support founders with understanding the market landscape and potential opportunities. This article is part of a partnership with the High Commission Canada.