Australian digital health specialist, Adherium Limited, has announced that some of Europe’s most prestigious clinical opinion leaders have chosen its Smartinhaler™ for the myAirCoach programme, part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework for Research and Innovation.
Background
Adherium Limited describes itself as a global leader in digital health technologies that address sub-optimal medication use in chronic disease. Its 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. 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 the system. The data from the STAAR study builds on a study published in January 2015 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine which showed the use of the Smartinhaler™ platform increased adherence to preventative medication by 180% and reduced use of reliever medication by 45%.
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.
The 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).
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.
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 during which 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.
Investigator comments
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.”
Company comments
Garth Sutherland, Founder & Group CEO of Adherium stated; “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.
“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.”
Source: Globe Newswire
published: December 9, 2016 in: Clinical Studies/Trials, Healthcare, Monitoring, Technology