Inhalers used to treat asthma and chronic lung disease will soon be getting an upgrade.
Medical technology companies are competing to create high-tech inhalers that monitor if patients are using the devices properly, according to Reuters.
"Technique is critical. You might have the world's best blockbuster drug in an inhaler, but if patients don't use it properly they won't get the benefits," said Omar Usmani, MD, PhD, a consultant physician at Imperial College London.
Britain-based GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, along with Switzerland-based Novartis, all entered the race to create the new inhalers through deals with a handful of small devicemakers.
The devicemakers envision a smart device that can record doses, check medicine flow and monitor the environment for allergens, wirelessly uploading all the data to the cloud.
More accurate use of inhalers would limit the number of serious asthma attacks patients experience, a reduction Goldman Sachs analysts say could save the U.S. $19 billion in healthcare costs.
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