WAITING TO EXHALE The sensor which will be applied to an inhaler will be app enabled to allow for accurate data collection
Pharmaceuticals manufacturer Orion Corporation and digital therapeutics company Propeller Health announced a partnership to connect the Easyhaler line of inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to Propeller Health’s digital medicine platform.
The partnership will expand Propeller’s presence in Europe, where Orion serves patients across several countries. Propeller’s platform currently covers more than 90% of inhaled medicines for asthma and COPD on the market.
Orion’s existing line of Easyhaler products will connect to Propeller’s digital medicine platform via a small, custom-built sensor. The sensor, which is being developed collaboratively under this agreement, attaches to the inhaler and pairs with a mobile app.
Propeller automatically tracks medication use and provides personal feedback and insights that help individuals and their doctors manage and reduce symptoms.
Development of the sensor will begin this year, with clinical trials, possible real-time evidence projects and a broader commercial roll-out to follow.
“By connecting Easyhaler to Propeller’s digital platform, Orion is giving its patients and providers a new ability to improve the user experience of Easyhaler products and help patients better adhere to the treatments,” says Orion commercial operations senior VP Satu Ahomäki.
“Patients and their physicians are eager for medicines that put digital to work to improve treatments and quality of life,” says Propeller Health cofounder and CEO David Van Sickle.
“This partnership with Orion is another significant step towards reducing the burden of chronic respiratory disease for people around the world. We are thrilled to take this step to reduce the burden of asthma and COPD via a digital companion to our medicine,” concludes Ahomäki.