New Zealand-based Adherium has raised $25.6 million ($35 million AUD) in an initial public offering on the Australian Securities Exchange, including a $3 million investment from AstraZeneca, which has recently announced a long-term commercialization agreement with the company.

Adherium developed the Smartinhaler line of products that make inhalers smart, helping increase medication adherence along the way. The company’s smart inhalers track the date and time of patient use and transmit audio and visual reminders to the patient when they miss a critical dose of preventative medication. The data is also automatically sent to a smartphone app, home monitoring hub, or PC, as well as Adherium’s cloud service from where it can be accessed by health care professionals and/or care givers.

Adherium’s Smartinhaler devices have both a CE Mark and FDA 510(k) clearance.Adherium’s Smartinhaler devices have both a CE Mark and FDA 510(k) clearance, and have proven to work in trials conducted by the company. In fact, these devices were shown to improve adherence by up to 59% in adults and 180% in children with asthma.

At the moment, Adherium sells its products to disease management groups and clinical investigators, with the idea to expand to pharmaceutical companies. This is where AstraZeneca kicks in; it will incorporate smart inhalers into its global patient support programs for patients with COPD and asthma.

[Via: mobihealthnews]