H&T Presspart and Cohero Health said today that the companies have launched a connected metered-dose inhaler designed to improve adherence and optimize care for patients with asthma and COPD. It is the 1st connected inhaler integrated with Cohero Health’s BreatheSmart comprehensive respiratory disease management platform.

The 2 companies developed the metered-dose inhaler over the course of a multi-year agreement. Improving patient adherence is vital, the companies said, as less than half of patients take their preventer medications as prescribed. This can result in poor symptom management, hospitalization and avoidable death.

Sensors within the inhaler can track real-time medication use and quality of medication delivery. The data is wirelessly shared to the BreatheSmart app, which can alert patients with medication reminders and provide monthly summary reports. Patients can choose to share the collected data with their families and healthcare providers, who can then access the information via a web app on a secure, HIPPA-compliant server. The technology can also be integrated with electronic medical records to transfer patient data.

The inhaler also features an FDA-approved  mechanical dose counter which allows pharmaceutical companies to easily transition current products to connected devices. H&T Presspart and Cohero Health are working with pharmaceutical manufacturers to leverage the technology for pipeline development, according to the companies.

“In designing the eMDI, our mission was to help pharmaceutical companies bring the best possible care to patients in an intuitive device in the fastest time and most cost-efficient way,” H&T Presspart CEO Peter Schmelzer said in prepared remarks.

“We have thus combined the design of the world’s most widely used and established inhaler technology with the only respiratory platform that gives a complete and objective picture of how a patient is responding to treatment between reviews,” Cohero Health co-founder & CEO Mellissa Manice added.