Multinational biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company Opko Health has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Inspiro Medical Ltd. (Inspiro), an Israeli medical device company developing a new platform to deliver small molecule drugs such as corticosteroids and beta agonists or larger molecules to treat respiratory diseases. Inspiro’s Inspiromatic is a smart, easy-to-use dry powder inhaler with several advantages over existing devices.
Inspiromatic offers improved drug deposition to the lower airways of patients and real time data for patient compliance monitoring. The device has an internal microcontroller and flow sensor that controls the delivery of the medication and, using micro-pump technology, dispenses the drug particles at the right speed without the need for forceful inhalation. It also provides instant feedback to the patient with a green or red flasher light to indicate proper inhalation and a beeper after the dose has been delivered. For physicians, Inspiromatic provides a built-in logger that stores patient use data for easy access and transmission by electronic devices such as smartphones.
In a recently completed, First In Man double blinded clinical study conducted in 30 asthmatic children comparing Inspiromatic to a market leading dry powder inhaler, Inspiromatic demonstrated superior pulmonary delivery of the active drug.