A women’s health startup tried to drum up interest for a much-needed drug. Many men didn’t get it

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The startup’s pitch seems compelling, even commonsensical: About 500,000 women in the U.S. need surgery every year for precancerous cervical lesions caused by the human papillomavirus. The surgery can lead to devastating reproductive consequences.

Antiva Biosciences, a 6-year-old drug maker, is working on a first-in-class treatment that, if successful, could make that surgery unnecessary.

But when it comes to making that case to investors and doctors — particularly the men who dominate those professions — it has often been an uphill battle. Male OB-GYNs have questioned the need for a drug, saying they think surgery is adequate; male VCs have been skeptical, too.

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