Israeli Devicemaker Inspiro Medical Acquired by Opko Health

Opko Health said Thursday it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Israel-based Inspiro Medical, giving the drugmaker a delivery vehicle for its respiratory therapies.

The company plans to test Inspiro’s Inspiromatic dry powder inhaler with the inhaled form of its sulfated disaccharide drug in patients with asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The drug is still in preclinical testing, but both inhaled and oral forms have proven safe and effective in animal tests, Opko said.

Inspiromatic uses an internal microcontroller, micro-pump and flow sensor to control drug delivery.

In a recent first-in-man double-blind clinical study, the inhaler demonstrated superior delivery of active drugs into patients’ lungs, including in patients with poor inhalation technique, Opko said. The device’s real-time interface and data-logging allow physicians to track dosing and drug delivery.

Opko CEO Phillip Frost said the combination product could be valuable in improving the treatment of asthma and other respiratory diseases. — Lena Freund

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