Propeller Health, which developed an FDA-cleared sensor to help patients and physicians track medication adherence through inhalers for asthma and COPD, has forged a collaborated with drug delivery business Aptar Pharma. They will develop a connected metered dose inhaler with an electronic dose counter.
Clinical studies for the device are expected to start later this year and can be licensed.
It is part of a broader trend to make provide major respiratory brands connected versions of their medications with sensors integrated directly into the inhaler over the next five years, Propeller Health said in a statement. The company has already collaborated on inhalers for asthma and COPD medication with GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Respimat soft mist inhaler and GSK’s Diskus dry powder inhaler.
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The sensor Propeller developed, which records the time and location of medication use, has a companion app to track the use of inhalers over time and provide a way for physicians and patients to have more meaningful interactions over potential problems with inhalers and how to better manage asthma and COPD.
MDI inhalers are the most common inhalers on the market — 600 million are manufactured a year by Propeller’s reckoning. The company said its sensor is compatible with many of the MDI inhalers currently on the market.
Novartis said in January that it will work with Qualcomm Life to build a connected version of its Breezhaler device. Last year, Teva acquired Gecko Health, an early stage competitor to Propeller Health to connect its respiratory medications and AstraZeneca invested in a New Zealand based competitor to Propeller Health called Adherium.
Earlier this month, Humana joined the AIR Louisville initiative driven by Propeller Health. The intiative between public, private and philanthropic organizations is about using digital health tech to improve asthma management.
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At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
