Convergence of Sensor Enabled Devices to Advance Chronic Respiratory Patient Care

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Converging technologies are creating new ways for patients diagnosed with chronic upper respiratory illnesses to improve outcomes while avoiding external factors that may exacerbate or trigger their conditions. These complementary patient care modalities, most of which are in the early stages of adoption, hold the capability to move treatment for COPD and asthma beyond responsive dosing to predictive behaviors and avoidance over the next five years. As integration and uptake of these devices occur, the global market for sensor enabled chronic respiratory patient care devices will grow to 24 million units annually by 2022.

The inhaled respiratory market represents one of the largest categories of drug spending, with continuing growth due to the increasing diagnosis of conditions such as asthma and COPD. As the incidence of these conditions increases, there exists a growing and significant opportunity to improve and expand current treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract.

Over the past decade, oral inhaler evolution has seen an increase in the incorporation of ergonomic features by device designers aimed at increasing patient receptiveness. This has led to inhaler designs that have approached the goals of improved usability and patient adherence from a number of distinct directions, including dose preparation technology, dose packaging, novel formulation technology and dosing confirmation.

More recently, much of the activity and media coverage have centered on electronics – in particular, sensors that can be attached to oral inhalers to provide data capture of user dosing and adherence to drug protocols. The incorporation of wireless technologies allows this data to be sent, typically via smartphone, off-device to the caregiver, a third-party data response team or an mHealth cloud for processing via analytics and re-direction to the patient's EHR file. Leading companies in this segment include Propeller Health and Adherium.

These advances are now being joined – often combined – with technologies that include portable wireless spirometers, geographic proximity air quality monitors, acoustic-enabled condition diagnostics and more exotic approaches that include breath analysis, breathing/speech monitoring and patient baselining. The most active collaborations have been between digital device developers and suppliers of air quality data. This is a straightforward progression in the evolution of technology-enabled inhalers and can be considered the low-hanging fruit in the ongoing effort to further enable asthma and COPD patients to improve the control of their symptoms.

These findings are detailed in a new and comprehensive report researched and written by Greystone Research Associates. Sensor Enabled Chronic Respiratory Patient Care analyzes eight sensor enabled technology classes that are converging to create new choices and opportunities for asthma and COPD patients and their caregivers. It examines therapeutic segments, demand drivers, market considerations and strategic factors. Detailed device and technology assessments, product commercial status, market data, forecasts and profiles of market sector participants are also provided.

About Greystone

Greystone Research Associates is a medical technology consulting firm focused on the areas of medical market strategy, product commercialization, venture development and market research. We assist medical and healthcare market participants in achieving their business objectives through the creation of detailed development strategies, product commercialization programs and comprehensive market and technology research and analysis. Our market research publications are designed, researched and written to provide timely and insightful information and data on focused market segments, with the aim of providing market participants with the essential knowledge to refine and execute their marketing plans and financial targets.