Adherium’s Smartinhaler™ Technology Chosen for Major Asthma Initiative

MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adherium Limited (ASX:ADR), a global leader in digital health technologies that address sub-optimal medication use in chronic disease, today announces that some of Europe’s most prestigious clinical opinion leaders have chosen Adherium’s Smartinhaler™ for the myAirCoach programme, part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework for Research and Innovation.

The myAirCoach programme is being funded through the Horizon 2020 framework which is the largest EU Research and Innovation programme ever established with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020).

The purpose of the myAirCoach programme is to establish whether home monitoring and mobile health (mHealth) systems can be used to predict asthma control and the occurrence of asthma exacerbations. One of the main goals of the project is to help patients manage their health through user-friendly tools that will increase awareness of their clinical state as well as the adherence and effectiveness of the medical treatment they follow. The impact of the myAirCoach programme is expected to set the basis for the widespread adoption of sensor-based self-management systems across the spectrum of respiratory diseases. (Source: http://www.myaircoach.eu/myaircoach/content/what-myaircoach-project)

Smartinhaler™ is already proven to reduce hospitalisation as demonstrated in the results of the year-long STAAR study, recently published online in the prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal Thorax [1]. The study revealed a significant reduction in hospital admissions over the course of 12 months as well as substantial other health and quality of life benefits for patients using Smartinhaler™. The data from the STAAR study builds on a study published in January 2015 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine [2] which showed the use of the Smartinhaler™ platform increased adherence to preventative medication by 180% and reduced use of reliever medication by 45%.

“Successful disease management and prevention is only truly achieved by understanding the real-world complexity of our lives. The best way to do that is through rich data collected in the real world. By providing our innovative solutions to people with asthma, we can help people take the right medicine, at the right dose, at the right time and in the right way,” said Garth Sutherland, Founder & Group CEO of Adherium. “The myAirCoach programme is a leading initiative assessing the impact that digital health solutions, such as Smartinhaler™, can have on patients in a real-world setting. It is a major international project, funded by the prestigious European Union Horizon 2020 framework.”

Participating organisations in the myAirCoach project include: Imperial College London, University of Manchester and Leiden University Medical Center. The project is anticipated to run for the next 12 months.

Dr. Omar Usmani, Reader in Respiratory Medicine & Consultant Physician, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital, said; “The myAirCoach programme will help asthma sufferers to manage their health through user-friendly tools that will increase awareness of their clinical state as well as their adherence and the effectiveness of medical treatment they follow.”

Professor Fan Chung, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Head of Experimental Studies Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital, commented; “People with asthma are more likely to miss school or work and experience reduced quality of life.  We are excited about the collaboration between Adherium and myAirCoach which is expected to set the basis for the widespread adoption of sensor-based self-management systems across the spectrum of respiratory diseases.”

Adherium will be supplying a range of products to the programme via three key centres, including devices for inhaled medications manufactured by AstraZeneca and GSK:

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (UK)

Leiden University Medical Centre (The Netherlands)

The University of Manchester (UK)

The project is coordinated by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece and is supported by a group of asthma patients acting as advisors.  Other participating organisations in the myAirCoach project include: University of Patras, Allertec Hellas SA, IHP Microelectronics, ZorgGemak (MedVision 360BV), European Federation of Asthma & Allergy Associations, Cnet Svenska AB, Circassia and Asthma UK.

More information on myAirCoach can be found at the project’s website http://www.myaircoach.eu/myaircoach/                               

[1] Published online: Thorax doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208171
[2] Chan AHY, Stewart AWS, Harrison J, Camargo C, Black PN, Mitchell EA. The effect of an inhaler with ringtones on asthma control and school attendance in children. Lancet Respir Med. 2015;3:210-219

ABOUT ADHERIUM

Adherium (ASX:ADR) is an Australian Securities Exchange listed company which develops, manufactures and supplies digital health technologies which address sub-optimal medication use and improve health outcomes in chronic disease.

Adherium operates globally from bases in the USA, Europe and Australasia.

Adherium is a provider of digital health solutions to patients, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers and contract research organizations. The Company’s proprietary Smartinhaler™ platform has been independently proven to improve medication adherence and health outcomes for patients with chronic respiratory disease. Adherium has the broadest range of "smart" medication sensors for respiratory medications globally.

The Smartinhaler™ platform has so far been used in more than 65 projects (clinical, device validation or other) and has been referenced in 56 peer reviewed journal articles. Clinical outcomes data has proven that the Smartinhaler™ platform can improve adherence by up to 59% in adults and 180% in children and reduce severe episodes by 60% in adults, leading to improved quality-of-life and demonstrating a substantial gain over current best practice treatment. The Company has received FDA 510(k) notifications for clearance to market and CE Marks for its devices and software, which allows it to sell these devices into international markets.

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