1nhaler hires pharma industry 'experts' for key roles ahead of clinical trials

Edinburgh-based 1nhaler has appointed two experts in inhalation and respiratory medicines to the board as it looks to accelerate the development and market-readiness of its single-use inhaler device.

Jane Gaddum, formerly vice president for emerging brands within global marketing for AstraZeneca, has joined 1nhaler as board chair and non-executive director (NxD). Gordon Muirhead, formerly vice president for new product introduction and technical lead for global supply for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has also been appointed to the board as NxD.

Gaddum led commercial input into the early research and development of the global pharmaceutical brand’s emerging respiratory and inflammation portfolio. Her expertise in bringing products and technologies to market within the respiratory sector will help to guide the market readiness strategy for 1nhaler.

Muirhead has been an advisor to 1nhaler since its inception. His experience in research and development, manufacturing and clinical trials was instrumental to securing early-stage funding for the company. As NxD, Gordon will provide the technical support to take the business forward through to clinical trials.

The company’s founders, Lisa McMyn and Don Smith, together with Joanne Kelley, formerly vice president, business development for AstraZeneca and 1nhaler NxD, sit on the Board alongside Jane and Gordon.

1nhaler was founded in 2017 to offer a simple, low-cost, low-carbon device for administering single-dose inhalable treatments. The patented membrane mechanism avoids the need for harmful propellants by harnessing advancements in dry powder technology and supports a variety of inhalable drug formulations, contained within a discreet device the size of a credit card.

In November 2023, the company raised £2million in a funding raise led by Archangels and secured an additional R&D grant funding from Scottish Enterprise worth £765,000 to prepare the product for a next early-stage clinical trials phase in 2025.

Lisa McMyn, chief executive officer at 1nhaler, said: "Jane and Gordon’s combined experience in bringing several market-leading inhalation devices to market will be invaluable as we look to accelerate product development and deliver on our ambition to create the industry's smallest, simplest and most sustainable single-dose inhaler."

Sarah Hardy, head of new investments at Archangels, said: “The latest appointments to the 1nhaler board demonstrate the ambition of the business and the market belief in the product from experts in the respiration and inhalation fields.”

Inhalable medicines are already widely used to treat conditions such as asthma, COPD, influenza, epilepsy, depression and Parkinson’s. It is estimated that almost half a billion people globally suffer with respiratory conditions, many of whom lack access to the drugs they need to relieve their suffering. Existing inhalers are typically made from bulky plastic and are expensive to manufacture and distribute. The simplicity of 1nhaler’s design ensures it is cheap to manufacture, easy to use, requires fewer natural resources and is always where you need it.