Opko Health, Inc., a multinational biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Inspiro Medical Ltd. (Inspiro), an Israeli medical device company developing a new platform to deliver small molecule drugs such as corticosteroids and beta agonists or larger molecules to treat respiratory diseases. Inspiro's Inspiromatic is a "smart" easy-to-use dry powder inhaler with several advantages over existing devices.
Inspiromatic offers improved drug deposition to the lower airways of patients and real time data for patient compliance monitoring. The device has an internal microcontroller and flow sensor that controls the delivery of the medication and, using micro-pump technology, dispenses the drug particles at the right speed without the need for forceful inhalation. It also provides instant feedback to the patient with a green or red flasher light to indicate proper inhalation and a beeper after the dose has been delivered. For physicians, Inspiromatic provides a built-in logger that stores patient use data for easy access and transmission by electronic devices such as smart phones.
In a recently completed, First In Man double blinded clinical study conducted in 30 asthmatic children comparing Inspiromatic to a market leading dry powder inhaler, Inspiromatic demonstrated superior pulmonary delivery of the active drug.
"We are pleased to add this next generation inhaler to Opko's growing product portfolio," stated Phillip Frost, Opko's CEO and chairman. "We expect this innovative device to play a valuable role in the improvement of therapy for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases. We plan to use the Inspiromatic device to test the inhaled form of Opko's new sulfated disaccharide drug against these disorders. This drug product is still undergoing pre-clinical testing prior to submission of an IND, but animal data indicates safety and efficacy for both inhaled and orally delivered forms. Of course, we believe that Inspiromatic can improve outcomes of treatment with other drugs, those presently available in more 'standard' type inhalers, as well as new inhalation drugs being developed. This acquisition fits our strategy of developing new products that address large markets in need of more effective therapeutic solutions."
Nimrod Kaufmann, CEO and co-founder of Inspiro, commented, "We are extremely proud of Inspiro's success in bringing our smart Inspiromatic respiratory drug-delivery device to market. With Inspiro now a part of Opko, we will be able to help more people faster. Inspiro joining Opko is a big win for the shareholders of both Inspiro and Opko, as well as good news for our patients and physicians."
Eran Feldhay, CEO of Trendlines Medical, Inspiro's largest shareholder, added, "The acquisition of Inspiro is our third exit in eight months, all to US-based multinational corporations. This success brings continuing confirmation of the strength of the Trendlines team in fulfilling our vision of creating and developing companies to improve the human condition. We are very pleased to see Opko take the Inspiro opportunity forward."