An estimated 334 million people have asthma worldwide, and 65 million have moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As cases increase, driven by ageing populations, hospitals and care providers continue to see low levels of compliance and poor and inconsistent competence using current treatment devices.
3M Drug Delivery Systems is developing an Intelligent Control Inhaler in partnership with an unnamed pharmaceutical company to help reduce this.
The US firm expects the device to be in wide use by the end of the decade.
The intuitive, fully-integrated 3M Intelligent Control Inhaler delivers accurate doses to patients, while providing on-screen instructions for use and feedback to the patient and healthcare provider through an app.
'Providing an effective and intuitive delivery method for respiratory disease treatment is critical to patients, healthcare providers and payers alike,' said Louise Righton, Global Marketing Operations Manager, 3M Drug Delivery Systems.
'Poor technique in using an inhaler, coupled with the challenges of getting patients to adhere to their medication protocols, can lead to exacerbations, increased use of healthcare resources and ultimately, a burden on healthcare systems. By increasing competence and adherence, we can realise better patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.'
The 3M Intelligent Control Inhaler will provide:
- Controlled inspiration: a combination of breath actuation with technology to control inspiratory flow rate significantly reduces errors in technique, and results in a higher level of consistency of drug delivery between breaths and between patients.
- Integrated patient instructions: the inhaler’s patient-proof design gives patients confidence to use the inhaler correctly and helps eliminate critical errors in use, as well as minimising the resources dedicated to training patients in correct inhalation technique.
- Fully integrated device: the dose is registered when the patient correctly inhales medication rather than on actuation of the device, delivering greater accuracy of information for the patient, and cost-savings for healthcare providers.
- Capture of inspiration data: the inhaler uses a data management platform to record not only device usage, but also inspiration profiles to help monitor disease progression, further supporting informed treatment decisions.
Dr Steven Wick, Technical Director, 3M Drug Delivery Systems, said: 'We’ve done a tremendous amount of research during the development of this technology with patients, healthcare providers, and payers.
'With 60 years of experience in inhalation technologies, and 30 years in health information systems, 3M is uniquely qualified to bring forth a solution that is a definitive win for each of these stakeholders.'
