Asthma patients are at risk to find their inhaler empty when needed
Bang & Olufsen Medicom responds to study calling for patient-friendly inhaler
Copenhagen May 15th 2006. Bang & Olufsen Medicom, an innovative drug delivery device solutions provider for the Pharmaceutical industry, has announced the finalisation of a new patient-friendly inhaler which the company believes will respond to calls by the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA - a patient education and advocacy organization based in the United States). The AANMA has been vocal in calling on the drug delivery device industry to develop new inhaler solutions which incorporate integrated dose counting features, as they believe a dose counter will reduce the number of severe and sometimes emergency hospitalizations for asthmatics.
The AANMA published an insightful study in 2003[i] which found that one quarter of asthmatics found their MDI (Metered Dose Inhaler) – empty – when they needed it, leading to some patients seeking emergency treatment. The group called on the industry to follow FDA (Federal Drug Administration) guidelines to build integrated dose counters into new MDIs. The dose counter allows the patient to count the exact number of doses of medication which remain in the inhaler. Today the majority of patients using inhalers have to self-register the number of doses they take, however, without an integrated dose counter this method can be difficult to monitor.
The AANMA survey was conducted via telephone interview with a random sample of 500 families with asthma who use an MDI. The key findings of the survey were:
> 25 percent of respondents had found their MDI completely empty when trying to use it to relieve symptoms.
> 8 percent of this group had to call an emergency number (911) for immediate help.
> 80% of people surveyed said that their only way of knowing when their inhaler was empty - was when no medication remained!
Speaking at The Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging conference 2006, held in Copenhagen Denmark recently, International Key Account Manager for Inhalers, Hans-Erik Gording, said that; “the study showed us asthma patients are at risk of finding their inhaler empty when they most need it. We believe our new intelligent inhaler can help minimize the distressing and potentially fatal asthma attacks by keeping patients informed and re-assured they have medication available”.
Bang & Olufsen Medicom has developed an innovative inhaler – the Assist Actuated Inhaler (AAI) - which it hopes will provide asthmatic patients with transparent ways of knowing how much medication remains in the canister. The inhaler incorporates a single increment dose counter which counts back from 199 doses, allowing the user to track each single dose taken. The inhaler is specially designed to avoid under and over counting and thus allows the patient more control over the actual amount of medication remaining in the canister. The device is also equipped with a special lever mechanism requiring 50% less force to release a dose, this is especially important for the elderly and young children. The inhaler can also be used for COPD patients (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
Meanwhile Bang & Olufsen Medicom has announced an exclusive co-development collaboration with Bespak PLC to enable the device with new valve mechanisms suitable for many different drug formulations. The inhaler is ready for commercialization and the company is currently in discussions with pharmaceutical clients on bringing the AAI device to market.
About Bang & Olufsen Medicom
Bang & Olufsen Medicom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bang & Olufsen group, is a leading expert in the design, development and supply of innovative drug delivery device solutions and sensor based technologies. The current product range includes; inhalers, tablet reminders and injection pens with a focus on patient compliance. Bang & Olufsen Medicom offers concept development, engineering and manufacturing services to clients with options to licence its intellectual property. For more information you can visit: http://www.medicom.bang-olufsen.com
Press contact:
Treasa Devine
PR & Communications Manager
00 45 61 55 59 61 (mobile)
Image bank:
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[i] Bradley Chipps MD, N. Sanders, S.J. Fusco-Walker;” Metered Dose Inhalers: Can you Count on Them?” US national survey of 500 households compiled by “The Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics” group (AANMA) in Nov.2003.