OPKO Health, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Israeli medical device company Inspiro Medical Ltd. and its Inspiromatic™, a “smart” easy-to-use dry powder inhaler with several claimed advantages over existing devices.
Background
Inspiro Medical is developing a new platform to deliver small molecule drugs such as corticosteroids and beta agonists or larger molecules to treat respiratory diseases. Its Inspiromatic™ device 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 smart phones.
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.
Company comments
for Opko
“We are pleased to add this next generation inhaler to OPKO’s growing product portfolio,” stated Phillip Frost, M.D., OPKO’s CEO and Chairman. “We expect this innovative device to play a valuable role in the improvement of therapy for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases. We plan to use the Inspiromatic™ device to test the inhaled form of OPKO’s new sulfated disaccharide drug against these disorders. This drug product is still undergoing pre-clinical testing prior to submission of an IND, but animal data indicates safety and efficacy for both inhaled and orally delivered forms. Of course, we believe that Inspiromatic™ can improve outcomes of treatment with other drugs, those presently available in more ‘standard’ type inhalers, as well as new inhalation drugs being developed. This acquisition fits our strategy of developing new products that address large markets in need of more effective therapeutic solutions.”
for Inspiro
Nimrod Kaufmann, CEO and Co-Founder of Inspiro, commented, “We are extremely proud of Inspiro’s success in bringing our smart Inspiromatic™ respiratory drug-delivery device to market. With Inspiro now a part of OPKO, we will be able to help more people faster. Inspiro joining OPKO is a big win for the shareholders of both Inspiro and OPKO, as well as good news for our patients and physicians.”
Source: Opko Health, Inc., Business Wire
published: April 28, 2014 in: Mergers and Acquisitions, Thoracic/Respiratory