Biocorp’s Inspair converts inhalers into connected medical devices

Issoire, France – Biocorp, a French company specializing in the development and manufacturing of medical devices and smart drug delivery systems, launched Inspair, the smart sensor which converts inhalers into connected devices to help patients with Asthma or COPD.

“Biocorp’s objective is to develop innovative solutions in order to improve treatment compliance by patients suffering from chronic diseases. Significant applications have been developed in diabetology, endocrinology, and neurology with the Datapen and Easylog devices, and our new sensor Inspair also positions us in the area of chronic lung diseases which affect an increasing number of people in need of new solutions to improve compliance,” said Jacques Gardette, Biocorp’s founder and CEO.

Asthma is a chronic disease which affects the respiratory tracts: it is characterized by an inflammation and irritation of the bronchial tubes which overreact to various triggers, and causes attacks with typical identifiable symptoms: difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath, dry cough or wheezing.

Asthma is a disease lived by 4 million people in France and 334 million in the world¹, and which can rapidly affect the patients’ daily lives if it is not carefully controlled. The compliance and monitoring of the disease are all the more necessary in that a poor management of asthma can rapidly lead to severe asthma responsible for more than 500,000 emergency hospitalization and 1,000 to 1,500 deaths every year in France². The French health insurance estimates that nearly six in ten people with asthma have inadequate control of their disease and treatment³.

COPD is a chronic lung disease which develops slowly and is characterized by an airway obstruction. It is different from Asthma and usually affects older people suffering from prolonged intoxication, mostly because of smoking (90%). COPD affects about 3 million people in France, and is responsible for more deaths than HIV or Influenza⁴. A fastidious treatment follow-up with inhaler and/or bronchodilator medication is thus required to reduce symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life.

Inspair brings an innovative and effective response to the needs of these two pathologies: it acts directly on the treatment compliance and also strengthens the connection between the patient and the medical staff who can provide a real-time therapeutic follow-up. Inspair is a smart sensor capable of converting any pressurized metered dose inhaler into a connected device: it is then able to record data related to the inhalations and to assure an optimal management of the treatment (mastering of the inhalation technique). Equipped with miniaturized sensors and electronic card, Inspair fits on most MDI mouthpieces on the market using specific adaptors. The system automatically records data related to daily inhalations, ensures the right preparation of the canister (shake before usage), assesses the coordination of actuation with inhalation (“hand-mouth” coordination) and also provides with useful guidance throughout the inhalation steps.

Inspair acts on the key levers of the integrated therapeutic education which lowers hospital admissions and calls to emergency services, reduces the frequency of the attacks and other symptoms, and improves the patient’s daily comfort. More than a simple tool for treatment, Biocorp’s connected device becomes an integral part of it.

Still following its Intellectual Property strategy, providing the company with a key competitive advantage, Biocorp has deposited a series of international patents that ensure its full ownership, proof of anteriority and exclusive rights over the exploitation of Inspair.

About Biocorp
Founded in 2004 in Issoire (near Clermont-Ferrand), France, Biocorp is a French company specializing in the development and manufacturing of medical devices and innovative drug delivery systems. It is listed as ‘Innovative Company’ by the French public investment bank Bpifrance. With over twenty years of experience and more than 30 manufactured products, Biocorp is a key player in the industry, providing drug delivery solutions that meet the evolving needs of patients. Today, Biocorp continues to innovate in the area of medical plastics, its core business, and to market traditional devices (alternative to aluminum capsules, syringe and vial administration systems) that have been an important source of recurring income. Its solid expertise and capacity to innovate have allowed the company to develop new Internet-connected products, including: the DataPen, a reusable smart injection pen that automatically transmits data to a mobile app, helping patients to manage their treatment; and treatment management add-ons, which adapt to existing delivery devices and are compatible with most injection pens in the market. The company has a team of 44 employees.

^{1 Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2016/05/03/quatre-millions-d-asthmatiques-en-france-un-chiffre-sous-estime_4912620_1651302.html#SwIJb5JXKS4Ebi7K.99}

^{2 Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2016/05/03/quatre-millions-d-asthmatiques-en-france-un-chiffre-sous-estime_4912620_1651302.html#SwIJb5JXKS4Ebi7K.99}

^{3 Source: French Institute for Research and Documentation in the Economics of Health (IRDES)}

^{4 Source: COPD French Association}

Source: Biocorp