Orion to partner with Propeller Health on digital asthma project

Pharmaceutical company Orion will work together with digital therapeutics company Propeller Health on a connected drug delivery project.

The partnership will connect Orion’s Easyhaler line of inhalers to Propeller’s digital medicine platform to help track medication use for patients with asthma and COPD. A small, custom-built sensor will be attached to the inhaler to provide personal feedback to users to help patients and their doctors manage and reduce symptoms.

The sensor’s development will begin in 2019 with clinical trials, possible real-world evidence projects and a broader commercial rollout to follow.

Propeller’s digital platform currently covers more than 90% of inhaled medicines for asthma and COPD on the market. The partnership is expected to expand the company’s presence in Europe.

"By connecting Easyhaler to Propeller's digital platform, we are giving our patients and their providers a new ability to improve the user experience of Easyhaler products and help patients better adhere to the treatments," said Satu Ahomäki, Orion's senior vice president, commercial operations. "We are thrilled to take this step to reduce the burden of asthma and COPD via a digital companion to our medicine."

"People and their physicians are eager for medicines that put digital to work to improve their treatments and quality of life," said David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Propeller Health. "This partnership with Orion is another significant step toward reducing the burden of chronic respiratory disease for people around the world."