Propeller Health announces development agreement and R&D collaboration with GSK to develop a digital sensor for the Ellipta inhaler

Collaboration reinforces Propeller Health's leadership in respiratory digital health and creates a joint opportunity to advance treatment of respiratory disease through digital innovation.

Under the terms of this non-exclusive agreement, the first between the two companies, Propeller Health will develop and manufacture a custom sensor for the Ellipta inhaler for use in certain GSK clinical studies in asthma and COPD.

In the studies, the sensor will automatically collect and record data on the inhaler's usage (i.e., date and time of each use), wirelessly transmitting the information to a central data repository for analysis by GSK's clinical researchers. The sensor technology will be used to provide greater insights into adherence patterns across patient populations and may allow for more precise correlation of adherence with safety, efficacy and economic outcomes.

GSK retains an option to negotiate exclusive commercialization rights to the sensor for use with its marketed portfolio of respiratory medicines administered using the Ellipta inhaler.

"We are pleased to announce a collaboration with GSK, a global leader in the treatment of respiratory disease. Together we aim to combine our expertise to empower patients and positively impact care," said David Van Sickle, CEO and co-founder of Propeller.

Dave Allen, Senior Vice President of Respiratory R&D at GSK, said: "We continue to find new and better ways to conduct clinical trials by exploring novel patient centered outcomes through strategic collaborations. Using innovative sensor technology to improve the quality of adherence data collected during our studies will advance our understanding of disease and inform our decision-making in the development of new medicines."

The Propeller platform has been used by patients in more than 35 commercial programs across the US, including major healthcare systems, payers, employers and other commercial partners. It is compatible with the majority of commonly used asthma and COPD inhaler devices including controller and reliever metered dose inhalers (MDIs), and other inhaler devices (dry powder inhaler (DPI) and soft mist inhaler (SMI)).