A multi-year collaboration between H&T Presspart and Cohero Health has yielded the world’s first connected inhaler for tracking and improving medication adherence, eMDI.
eMDI incorporates electronics into a medication inhaler to passively track and communicate medication utilisation. The device incorporates a sensor to track the date and time when medication is actuated, which is then stored in onboard memory and shared wirelessly via Bluetooth. It works seamlessly with Cohero Health’s platform of connected devices and mobile applications, which actively engages and empowers respiratory patients by tracking medication adherence and measuring lung function.
Cohero Health’s CEO Melissa Manice PhD MPH said: "We’re excited to announce the addition of the eMDI to the Cohero Health portfolio."
"Our company’s mission is to transform respiratory care through smart mobile devices. Early in our product development, we recognised the importance of including tracking and communication capabilities into the MDI. Our eMDI is the natural evolution of our external medication sensors (HeroTrackers), and represents an exciting opportunity to better monitor adherence and quality of medication delivery, ultimately enabling improved medication use and prevention of avoidable exacerbations."
The relationship between Cohero Health and H&T Presspart has resulted in the production of a variety of functional devices, now readily available to the pharmaceutical industry.
General Partner of the Heitkamp & Thumann Group and Chairman of H&T Presspart Peter Schmelzer said: "This partnership combines the strengths of two industry leaders. We saw a great opportunity to combine Cohero Health’s digital innovation with H&T Presspart’s expertise in MDI design and manufacturing. Together, we have developed an industry-leading offering. In addition to having a functional product, our capabilities as a manufacturer enable us to fully commercialise and supply this offering globally."
Cohero Health focuses on developing connected health tools and technologies to empower respiratory patients and improve care through smart mobile devices, and H&T Presspart is a specialist medical device and pharmaceutical component manufacturer. The companies believe the eMDI is the first functional connected MDI ever developed. Unique features include:
- Seamless integration into Cohero Health’s connected respiratory care platform
- Onboard sensors to detect medication use as well as quality of medication administration (detection of proper inhaler actuation)
- On board electronic dose counting and display
- Modular design enabling sensing and communication capabilities to be easily be applied to additional form factors
- Compatibility with any valve and canister
- Lack of disruption to medication delivery geometry, reducing regulatory pathway and time to market
The eMDI represents an advancement of the Cohero Health platform, which is already the first and only respiratory disease management platform to offer tracking of both controller and rescue medications, along with clinically accurate lung function measurement via an FDA-cleared mobile spirometer.
Cohero Health’s Co-Founder and COO Daniel Weinstein said: "This announcement further demonstrates our commitment to leading innovation in respiratory care."
"The eMDI represents an exciting new tool for pharmaceutical companies to improve their product utilisation, as well as enable unprecedented real-time monitoring of who is using their products, how they are using them, and how they are responding."
The eMDI is available for commercialisation, and the companies are currently in development with a number of pharmaceutical companies.