Boehringer Ingelheim, Qualcomm team on connected inhaler

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Qualcomm (NSDQ:QCOM) subsidiary Qualcomm Life yesterday said they’re partnering to create an inhaler that can track user information, hoping to improve outcomes for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Boehringer tapped Qualcomm to create a low-power, disposable module for Boehringer’s Respimat inhaler, using Qualcomm’s 2net Design platform to build a wireless communication component into the inhaler. The device is designed to track daily usage and share the data with the patient and their doctor.

“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,” Qualcomm Life president Rick Valencia said in prepared remarks.

“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 an 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 the symptoms of COPD,” added Boehringer business innovation head Ruchin Kansal.

Boehringer is not the only company Qualcomm is collaborating with to create a connected inhaler. In January of 2016, Qualcomm inked a partnership with Novartis to develop a connected version of Breezhaler, a Novartis inhaler used to treat COPD. Other companies are also joining forces to create these devices, like the partnership between Propeller Health and Vectura Group that was announced in May of 2016. The collaboration between Boehringer and Qualcomm was formally announced today at Qualcomm Life’s fifth annual Connect 2016 ecosystem conference in San Diego.

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