Aerobit Health To Improve Asthma Care With Smart Inhaler And Digital Health Platform

Adherence to medical regimens is a major problem in chronic disease management, especially in asthma with a reported nonadherence ranging from 30 to 70 percent. Up to three-quarters of the total costs associated with asthma may be due to poor asthma control. This nonadherence is associated with a number of factors, including complex regimens, lack of instruction, poor supervision, follow-up and fears about side effects to name a few. Successfully managing asthma significantly improve quality of life, and developing new technologies that help improve adherence is of high importance.

The UK-based startup Aerobit Health is determined to improve asthma care, and is developing a digital health platform with a smart inhaler device to reduce the risk of unnecessary fatalities. The inhaler measures quality of dose, and sync data with a complementary cloud-connected app. In addition, patients receive reminders via smartphone alerts, SMS notifications and LED lights on the inhaler. The platform encourages positive behavior with gamification and keeps the patients, loved ones and care team informed and alerted about missed dosages, and even environmental concerns such as pollen or pollution in their area that might trigger asthma symptoms.

Adherence with doctor-recommended treatment programs has long been recognized as a leading cause of unachieved outcomes, and a major factor in the tremendous economic burden associated with asthma. It is estimated that 8% of annual healthcare expenditure, over $200 billion every year, is due to suboptimal medicine use. Better asthma management is key to reducing this economic burden, prevent fatalities and improve quality of life for millions of people around the world.

Aerobit has developed an innovative solution of smart hardware and software to make asthma management easier and more effective. Remote monitoring can reduce the number of doctor appointments, while making it easier for doctors to identify when their patients’ asthma symptoms are worsening. This allow them to quickly take actions before patients are hospitalized, allocate resources to the patients that need them the most, and help ease pressure on the healthcare system. Most importantly, the platform can make a fundamental difference to the quality of life of people living with asthma. The gathered data can be used to improve and tailor treatment plans, dramatically reducing the number of asthma attacks. It can democratize care, personalize treatment and improve health outcomes.

Aerobit was founded in 2016 by Ali Moiyed. With his daughter’s asthma diagnosis as inspiration, and an understanding of living with the chronic disease himself, he was determined to develop a solution that could make his family safer. In late 2016, the startup sought £250,000 in return for 16 percent equity on the crowdfunding site Crowdcube, and in 2017 raised an undisclosed amount from StartUp Health. They have taken part in the Future of Health Accelerator at The Landing, DigitalHealth.London Accelerator and HighTechXL Accelerator, and the startup has already attracted interest from hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and inhaler manufacturers.