Propeller Health and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals recently announced a commercial collaboration, based on joint use of the companies’ health tools and services, in an effort to help people better manage long-term lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Propeller Health, a digital health solution company, has a technology platform approved for use in combination with Boehringer’s RESPIMAT inhaler. The Propeller platform — a combination of inhaler sensors, analytics, mobile apps, personal feedback, and education — tracks how and when people use inhaled medications, sending alerts to patients and their caregivers. Propeller customizes the view for each person, aiding patients’ understanding of the impact of their condition and how to manage it.

Under the partnership agreement, COPD and asthma patients being treated with a prescription medication developed by Boehringer for its RESPIMAT inhaler will be given the chance to enroll in a program determining the Propeller platform’s impact on inhaler treatment adherence rates and patient engagement. Enrollment, according to a press release, will take place at select U.S. health systems.

“We are excited to work with Boehringer Ingelheim to bring Propeller to people with asthma and COPD at health systems across the U.S. Together, we believe that digital tools can complement the use of respiratory medications and encourage more appropriate and effective management of chronic respiratory disease,” David Van Sickle, Propeller Health’s chief executive officer, said in the release.

The Propeller system has been used by patients with respiratory diseases in more than 40 commercial programs across the U.S. It is compatible with most commonly used asthma and COPD inhalers, including:

• Controller and reliever metered dose inhalers (MDIs)
• Dry powder inhalers (DPI)
• Soft mist inhalers (SMI)

“As a committed partner to the respiratory community for nearly a century, Boehringer Ingelheim is proud to embark on this industry-leading partnership with Propeller with the goal of improving the care of people living with COPD and asthma,” Ruchin Kansal, executive director and head of Business Innovation for Boehringer Ingelheim, said in the release.