The Internet of Things (IoT) and technological innovations are transforming the way the world works in the modern era. In recent years, nearly every item is powered by some form of technology or connectivity, be it Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or more recently, artificial intelligence or AI, giving rise to a new generation of smart devices.
 
The healthcare industry is no stranger to this trend, with smart medical devices making life easier for medical providers and patients alike.
 
One such device undergoing a technological transformation is the humble inhaler. These handy devices are an effective and ideal treatment option for patients with chronic respiratory disorders, such as asthma. Inhalers reinforced with technology can help patients adhere to a medication regimen, collect relevant patient data that can aid medical providers in tracking the treatment and its efficacy, and even predict and circumvent attacks before they occur.
 
Smart inhalers are essentially inhaler devices designed to connect with a mobile application. The application and device work together to help patients and healthcare providers to monitor important information like medication schedules and dosage reminders.
 
Smart inhaler sensors connect with the application through various means—Bluetooth, for instance, to facilitate tracking of data pertaining to inhaler usage. Smart inhaler devices can record the time, date, and even location of each dosage administered, and use this data to schedule a reminder for the subsequent dosage.
 
Some sensors are built into the body of the smart inhaler device itself, while others, for example, propeller sensors, are external sensors that can be attached to various kinds of inhalers.
 
Rising Prevalence of Chronic Respiratory Conditions
Respiratory conditions are among the most notorious medical conditions worldwide. According to estimates from the WHO (World Health Organization), chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), account for nearly 8.3 percent of the global chronic disease burden, leading to over 4 million deaths a year. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is estimated to occur in over 210 million across the globe, with asthma patients projected to be approximately 300 million in number.
 
Patients suffering from such chronic respiratory ailments are required to adhere to a strict treatment schedule, with daily medications required to keep symptoms under control.
 
One of the cornerstone treatments for asthma and COPD management is inhalation therapy. This treatment, which involves use of smart inhalers, helps mitigate symptoms of these ailments and reduces exacerbation risks.
 
Based on inhaler type, the smart inhalers market is broadly categorized into pressurized or breath-actuated MDIs (metered-dose inhalers), DPIs (dry powder inhalers), and propellant-free multi-dose spray inhalers.
 
Despite awareness regarding the importance of a stringent medication regimen, many CRD patients are cavalier regarding refills and daily dosages. However, in recent years, studies undertaken by experts have revealed smart inhaler technology could address this issue and provide an easy solution for patients to maintain treatment compliance and get symptoms under control.
 
For instance, a 2019 Cleveland Clinic study revealed COPD patients using Propeller smart inhalers were considerably less at risk of hospitalization, showing a nearly 35 percent decrease in hospital visits as compared to the previous year.
 
Likewise, a study of the Adherium Smartinhaler revealed patients who used this smart inhaler technology displayed a number of positive medical outcomes, including fewer hospitalizations, better adherence to medication schedules, and decreased requirement for doctor visits.
 
Digital inhalers can enable asthma or COPD patients to gain more control over their disorder, identify triggers, connect and share information with their medical providers, and collect valuable research data. The technology is a useful tool for facilitating adherence to treatment schedules, dosage reminders, and tracking usage of the inhalers by setting relevant alerts or notifications. Some digital inhalers can even track high levels of pollution or pollen or sense and alert patients in case they forget to carry their devices with them.
 
Pharmaceuticals Embrace Digital Health Integration
With digital tools and technologies becoming increasingly more prevalent and central to human life, their integration with medical devices is also witnessing a significant upsurge, for diagnosis, treatment, and management of various ailments. Recent medical wearables have transcended their basic application scope as wellness devices and transformed into real-time solutions for patient monitoring. The digital health landscape is expanding swiftly, with digital therapeutics poised to assert their dominance in chronic disease management in the coming years.
 
It is not surprising, therefore, that pharmaceutical companies are showing increasing keenness in leveraging digital health solutions to attain multifold advantages, from better connectivity to both patients and healthcare workers, to a distinct competitive edge.
 
Leading pharmaceutical companies are working persistently on forging new partnerships and cultivating relationships with the digital health industry to advance digital development in the medical sector and facilitate better patient care and outcomes.
 
One such pharma company that has embraced the integration of digital solutions into therapies is Teva Pharmaceuticals, which has developed a slew of smart devices to transform the scene of digital medicine, including the FDA-approved smart inhaler device, ProAir Digihaler, in 2019. Built on RespiClick formulation, the ProAir Digihaler’s sensor enables real-time tracking of device usage, breath actuation, and syncs the data to the associated application.
 
Emerging Smart Inhaler Technologies Transforming the CRD Treatment Landscape
While the smart inhalers industry is a relatively recent field and is still in its growing stages, there have been several prolific advancements in this technology across the globe.
 
In Europe for instance, medical device producer FindAir launched its CE marked smart inhaler device FindAir ONE, touted as the first publicly available commercial smart inhaler technology in the region.
 
Meanwhile, the APAC region, particularly India, witnessed a similar progression in the smart inhaler domain, characterized by an alliance forged between Lupin Limited and Aptar Pharma. This collaboration birthed the first connected MDI smart inhaler devices in India, dubbed Adhero, designed to act as add-on smart devices to track MDI usage and ensure better adherence to therapeutic regimes.
 
Considering the wave of connected devices and smart health technologies sweeping across the healthcare domain, the future of digital health innovation is looking brighter than ever. Smart inhalers in particular are hailed by many as the way of the future, essentially breathing fresh air into the management scope of chronic respiratory treatments in the years ahead.

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An avid reader since childhood, Saloni Walimbe is currently following her passion for content creation by writing insightful articles relating to global industry trends, business, and trade & finance. With an MBA-Marketing qualification under her belt, she has spent two years as a content writer in the advertising field. Aside from her professional work, she is an ardent animal lover and enjoys movies, music, and books in her spare time.