Device Companies Unite for a Better Inhaler

Bang & Olufsen Medicom (Copenhagen, Denmark, www.medicom.bang-olufsen.com), a drug-delivery device solutions provider, and Bespak (Milton Keynes, UK, www.bespak.com), a medical-devices and inhalation-valve technologies company, established an exclusive partnership to codevelop and comarket the “Assist Actuated Inhaler,” a single-increment, dose-counting inhaler. The integrated device features an assisted firing mechanism for easier patient use, according to a company release.

The partnership has been formed to develop a next generation “press and breathe” inhaler aimed at the expanding asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease market. The two companies will share responsibility for the development, manufacture, and copromotion of the device.

Bang & Olufsen Medicom’s CEO Henrik Kagenow stated in a release, “We are excited it will be the first patient compliance device on the market with a dose counter that meets FDA requirements.”

According to the company, the functionality of the device has been thoroughly validated and is ready for incorporation into a metered-dose inhaler program. Bespak and Bang & Olufsen Medicom are currently seeking alliances with pharmaceutical companies interested in providing new inhaler solutions for patients.