Two companies that make electronic drug inhalers are bringing together their proprietary technologies to build a smart dry powder device that can track patient compliance with a drug regiment. MicroDose of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey already builds a dry powder inhaler with an on-board chip that can record usage. The company now wants to integrate specialty software from New Zealand’s Nexus6 to bring data from the inhaler to patients and their physicians, as well as to help with monitoring patient’s compliance with taking clinical trial meds.
Here’s a video about the Nexus6’s Smartinhaler from New Zealand’s TV4:
From the press release about the new partnership:
The aim of the investigation is to demonstrate the ability to wirelessly upload dosing and compliance information from the inhaler to a web-based server for data management and reporting. The SmartinhalerLive technology, providing global roaming wireless, is a natural extension of MicroDose’s electronic inhaler features and will facilitate better communication between the physician, patient and pharmaceutical company to improve all aspects of care. The combined system would have benefits in both the clinical trials setting and with inmarket products. By improving compliance through reminder features, and through realtime tracking of compliance, patient safety and clinical trial data management are improved. Improved control and monitoring of compliance can significantly reduce the number of patients enrolled per Phase II or Phase III clinical studies. In marketed products, the system represents a move to more personalized care, giving a better understanding of drug usage and patient response to therapy, and improved compliance and adherence.
Press release: MicroDose and Nexus6 Announce Collaboration to Evaluate Application of Remote Patient Compliance Monitoring Technology with MicroDose’s Electronic Dry Powder Inhaler (.pdf)…
Product page: Smartinhaler, MicroDose Dry Powder Inhaler
(tip: ZDNet Healthcare)
