The product will be on public display for the first time at the EASD - European Association for the Study of Diabetes - conference which begins this week in Copenhagen, Denmark
Bang and Olufsen Medicom has unveiled its new disposal breath-actuated inhaler, Aspira.
The product will be on public display for the first time at the EASD - European Association for the Study of Diabetes - conference which begins this week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Aspira is designed for use with liquid drug formulations suitable for pMDIs (pressurised metered dose inhalers).
The inhaler offers a cost-effective and improved pulmonary drug delivery for treating diseases, including diabetes.
Diabetes is now recognised as a global epidemic, with growth projections estimated to be in the region of 171 million sufferers in 2000 up to 366 million by the year 20301.
It is estimated that currently 48 million people in Europe have the disease with associated healthcare costs of approximately eruo256 billion.
Of the two types of diabetes, type 2 is said to be at the origin of this epidemic, generally occurring in people over 40 years of age who are overweight.
However, children are also increasingly affected.
In type 2 diabetes, the body does not effectively use nor produce enough insulin to manage blood sugar levels, and eventually most people with type 2 diabetes will need insulin to achieve blood sugar control.
Recently, the first insulin inhaler was launched on the market creating a new opportunity for diabetics who have needle-phobia or those who do not like taking the injectable form of insulin.
Advances in inhalers have also made the daily management of diseases easier for patients.
For example - breath-actuated inhalers - which are automatically activated when the user inhales from the mouthpiece.
This automatic release of the medication removes a large stumbling block for patients who have trouble co-ordinating their movements with conventional press-and-breath inhalers and is therefore especially suitable for children and the elderly.
In addition Aspira holds a unique patent which reduces the particle flow rate thus ensuring improved drug delivery to the lungs.
Another key feature for the Aspira breath-actuated inhaler is an integrated dose-counter, which can record up to 200 individual doses.
This feature is important for people who have difficulties tracking their medication and can help with patient compliance issues.
The dose counter will only register fired doses and will therefore reliably inform the patient of doses taken and remaining in the canister.
Speaking at the unveiling, the head of sales and marketing, Christian Husegaard said; "Aspira is a unique solution for the treatment of diabetes, as it is optimised for improved drug delivery using a patented technology to reduce the flow rate.
"In addition, it is a cost-effective alternative, due to a reservoir technology which reduces the daily cost of administering the treatment.
"The device is also aimed at helping patient compliance as it shares a unique dose-counter technology platform currently used in our inhaler range developed for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)."
