Smart inhalers can be used to administer the correct dose of medicine and track patient health when connected to an app that can gather data

Respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pul-monary disease (COPD) are on the rise due to such factors as air pollution, active or passive smok-ing, exposure to certain chemicals or fumes, etc. According to World Health Organization, COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.

This drives the market for digital res-piratory devices, which include both therapeutic (inhalers, nebulisers) and diagnostic devices. When it comes to traditional inhal-ers, there is no way of determining if they are being properly used and which prescription is suitable for a particular patient. The type of standard inhaler used varies according to the intensity of the respiratory disorder and the need for its diagnosis. Smart inhalers, on the other hand, can be used to administer the correct dose of medicine and track patient health when connected to an app that can gather data.

According to a report by The Insight Partners, the global smart inhalers market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 25.5 per cent during the forecast period of 2019 to 2027, to reach US$ 8033.21 million by 2027. Well-known companies like Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Glenmark, 3M, Pneuma Respiratory, AstraZeneca, Propeller Health, Adherium and Amiko Digital Health are among the leading organisa-tions in this field. Glenmark, headquar-tered in Mumbai, launched the first digital inhaler in 2016. UK-based Amiko, founded by Ales-sandro Fato, Alexander Marinov, Duilio Macchi and Martijn Grinovero in 2015, is a developer of advanced medica-tion sensor technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital health solutions.

Their product Respiro is an end-to-end digital medicine solution that uses advanced smart inhalers and software to measure and improve out-comes for respiratory diseases.

Respiro’s AI-enabled add-on sen-sors can convert most standard inhal-ers into smart connected inhalers, which can then generate key medica-tion use and inhalation data to assist in monitoring compliance, lung func-tion and disease advancement. The mobile app devised for the patient receives this data and uses machine learning to deliver private user feed-back for improved disease control via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The provider dashboard can be used for remote monitoring and AI-based therapy suggestions to help professionals make accurate decisions.

Arm Cortex-M was chosen as the appropriate solution. “There is no need to wait on backend infrastructure to process detailed sensor data. When the user presses the trigger, breath data pattern is instantly recognised, and the module provides low-latency, private user feedback,” Duilio Macchi, chief executive officer, Amiko, explains on www.arm.comThis gives better and personalised care to patients along with suitable treatment. With all data and tools, it becomes easy for healthcare professionals to deliver efficient service. Therapy outcomes can be measured by the health system so that the treatment and cost can be optimised.

The system has successfully deliv-ered consistent improvements in treat-ment use and outcomes—37 per cent increase in controller medication adher-ence, 42 per cent improvement in opti-mal inhaler technique and 67 per cent reduction in rescue medication use. With the addition of new features, healthcare solutions can be better than
the existing ones.