Propeller Health’s technology and app alongside traditional inhalers
Madison, Wisconsin-based Propeller Health has landed its third major pharma client, paving the way for its add-on sensors and digital health platform to connect with patients and physicians using Novartis Pharma’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inhalers.
Announced Wednesday, the deal centers around the Breezhaler inhaler, a device used by a portfolio of Novartis COPD treatments.
Propeller has previously collaborated with Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline, along with U.K.-based Vectura and Aptar Pharma, a leading developer of metered dose inhalers systems.
Unlike other pharma partnerships, the agreements aren’t exclusive.
“Respiratory is a little different in that many times patients will be on medications from multiple pharma companies,” explained David Van Sickle, cofounder and CEO of Propeller Health in a phone interview.
Propeller’s play is to passively monitor the use of those devices, streaming data to patients, caregivers and providers.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
It starts with a smart sensor attached to the patient’s inhaler. The sensor transmits radio signals to a device, such as a smartphone, communicating information about the inhaler’s use. Is the patient following the prescribed regime? How much of the medicine are they inhaling?
While the metered inhalers are broadly standardized, Van Sickle said a lot of variability creeps in with patient technique. Too much medicine can produce unnecessary side effects; too little can result in a flare of symptoms.
“Adherence in respiratory is notoriously poor and one of the things that digital can do as a companion to those medicines is help educate, remind and otherwise make them more personable and convenient for patients so they end up using them more regularly and appropriately,” he said.
Distinct enterprise tools are also provided to physicians and care managers, allowing them to look at individual patients or to evaluate a wider group. It is this data on patient outcomes that is critical for justifying the digital platform’s place in the medical landscape.
“Historically, Propeller has worked with provider systems and payers to build programs for their patients with asthma and COPD,” Van Sickle explained. “So it’s commercially reimbursed, but not reimbursed in the traditional med device way.”
Propeller’s technology isn’t the only smart inhaler in the business, which makes it even more critical to gain an early foothold in the market.
“In the last year or two respiratory has digitized very quickly,” Van Sickle said. “All major companies now have ongoing — either internal or partnered programs — that are accelerating connectivity to their inhaled franchises. So it’s a good spot for us to be at delivering the digital interfaces and experiences that support this.”
The field has made such gains in recent years that it now commands its own market intelligence reports.
On January 31, Research and Markets published a new industry forecast titled ‘Global Smart Inhalers Market Analysis & Trends.’ The authors of the report project a compound annual growth rate for smart inhalers of 64.5 percent over the next 10 years, creating a $854 million business by 2025.
There are many companies competing for a market share, but together, they’re also helping to prove the value of respiratory digital health. That means there’s a lot to be won by the company that can connect the most inhalers and respiratory patients.
Photo: Propeller Health
