Patent filed designed to improve inhaler use

Hephaï, a French start-up developing an AI-based digital education platform, has filed a patent application covering the software technology used in its digital education tool, which is designed to improve inhaler use. 

This is the first patent filed by Hephaï; it seeks to protect its digital platform, designed to help patients with asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to better control their condition.

The digital tool is recognised as a Class 1 medical device and is a multi-device application which can be installed on PCs, tablets and smartphones. The patient simply records themselves using the inhaler and the app analyses the movements and sounds they make in real time, so that it can explain any errors that they may have made and provide suggestions on how to improve their technique.

When approved, the patent will cover the software that analyses the patient’s movements; it describes the technique to the patient and confirms how well they have used the inhaler, through a virtual coach.

Dr. Valéry Trosini-Desert, Hephaï founder and pulmonologist at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, Paris, Franc, said: “Innovation is what we are all about. After just one year of R&D we’ve been able to file this patent for France, which marks a first for a digital platform of this type in pulmonology. Our recent partnership with Chiesi, an international pharmaceutical company, with whom we are collaborating to fully develop the platform, proves that there is significant interest in our technology among patients and health professionals.”

Hephaï has recently recruited two data scientists, one of whom assisted in filing the patent. They are working on developing the AI that lies at the heart of the software. Both asthma and COPD are usually treated with medication taken via inhalers. Typically, patients have to make regular use of inhalers in order to take their treatment properly. Unfortunately, usage errors are commonplace: an estimated 30–40% of patients with COPD do not use their inhalers correctly. This can have a direct impact on how they take the medication, reducing its benefits.

Consultations with pulmonologists and GPs are often short, not allowing enough time to monitor the use of the prescribed inhaler medication, or to provide a full explanation to patients on how to use their inhalers. Short patient consultations are also common at the pharmacy. As a result, many people are unaware of the correct techniques to use their inhaler effectively, as they lack professional training or advice. This is why an educational approach is needed, to provide step-by-step instructions on the correct use.

Hephaï’s digital educational platform makes it possible to assess whether the inhaler treatment has been taken correctly. If there are problems, the tool can establish a corrective process, or inform the patient’s doctor. The app can be recommended by the prescribing doctor or pharmacist, and will be available for free download via Apple and Android devices in 2022.