Fully Digital Mist Inhaler Targets Respiratory Diseases

A novel breath-actuated digital inhaler helps treat a wide range of respiratory issues, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

The Pneuma Respiratory (Boone, NC, USA) digital soft mist inhaler is an device that uses an electronic breath actuation mechanism to deliver medication droplets directly into the patient’s lungs integrated while inhaling, without the need for propellants. As the patient inhales, the ejector senses the breath and activates automatically, creating a soft mist. Studies have shown that both small-molecule and large, complex biologics can be delivered pharmacologically intact.

According to Pneuma Respiratory, the devices ability to deliver different sized droplets of medicine via the proprietary droplet ejector technology will enable the device to potentially target different areas of the lungs, selectively. An added benefit is that the digital soft mist device can be wirelessly paired with a proprietary mobile app, thus delivering true real-time dose verification, an important issue for doctors, patients, and the health provider.

“More than forty million people suffer from asthma or COPD in the United States. It's well documented that patients have problems adopting the correct inhaler technique and receiving the expected dose of medication, both with dry powder and existing metered-dose inhalers,” said James Bauler, director of business development at Pneuma Respiratory. “With a proven team of technology and health care leaders, Pneuma expects to make significant gains in pulmonary drug delivery.”

“The breath actuation and electronic ejection creates a lot of possibilities for practitioners," said Guangxi Li, MD, of the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA). “While we're currently focused on creating improved therapeutic treatments by delivering off-patent proven asthma and COPD medicines, we see tremendous potential to lead the successful delivery of large molecule drugs through the lungs.”

COPD is a debilitating lung disease, the third-leading cause of death worldwide, and prevalence is increasing as baby boomers reach the prime age for disease manifestation. In the U.S, 20% of patients who are hospitalized for COPD flare-ups are re-admitted within 30 days, representing a significant cost for most hospitals. In fact, readmission rates are so high that the Affordable Care Act fined more than 78% of U.S. hospitals for their readmission performance related to COPD during 2015.

Related Links:
Pneuma Respiratory
Mayo Clinic