Qualcomm to collaborate with Boehringer Ingelheim on connected Respimat inhaler

Boehringer Ingelheim and Qualcomm Life have agreed to collaborate on development of a disposable wireless data sensor module for BI’s Respimat inhaler for COPD treatment. The sensor will connect with Qualcomm Life’s 2net platform.

Qualcomm had previously announced that it would develop a disposable sensor module for Novartis’s Breezhaler.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Executive Director and Head, Business Innovation Ruchin Kansal said, “For more than 40 years, Boehringer Ingelheim has had an unwavering commitment to the COPD community to provide new health solutions that can help improve patient outcomes and expand our understanding of COPD. Boehringer Ingelheim is proud to join forces with Qualcomm Life, a global leader in wireless technologies, to bring the latest technology to our Respimat inhaler with the goal of improving adherence to daily medicines that treat symptoms of COPD.”

Qualcomm Life President Rick Valencia commented, “Qualcomm Life is committed to powering the Internet of Medical Things to ultimately enable intelligent care to be delivered wherever the patient may be. We are excited to be collaborating with an industry leader like Boehringer Ingelheim to deliver a more seamless digital health experience that can enable their COPD patients to better manage their disease.”

Earlier this year, Boehringer Ingelheim announced a partnership with Propeller Health that would enroll asthma and COPD patients in a study of how Propeller’s inhaler monitoring platform affects adherence and engagement.

Read the Qualcomm and Boehringer Ingelheim press release.