The deal, announced Friday, sees the Israeli generics giant has added Gecko's range of healthcare hardware and software data tools to its tech portfolio.
This includes CareTRx, which is combined smartphone application - or app - and inhaler attachement designed to monitor asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD management The technology also sends reminders, reports and alerts to patients and physicians.
“Poor adherence to treatments for chronic diseases, such as asthma and COPD, is a worldwide problem,” Teva spokesperson Denise Bradley told in-Pharmatechnologist.com.
“CareTrx provides dose tracking and reminder features for one of the most common types of inhalers, metered dose inhalers (MDIs), along with intuitive applications and cloud-connected technology which can be a powerful tool for improving patient adherence and enabling data sharing between patients and their healthcare providers.”
The deal plays into Teva’s respiratory growth strategy, Bradley continued, and the platform will be assessed with a number of its respiratory products.
“The technology and expertise gained as a result of this acquisition provide Teva with a solid platform to develop and deliver truly patient-centred solutions by utilising eConnected, data-driven technology to improve the management of respiratory diseases,” she said.
Gecko, which has a total headcount of nine, will be integrated with Teva over the coming months.
Devices and Apps
Devices and apps that monitor patient compliance and data are becoming more common as pharma embraces such systems.
For diabetes patients, Medtronic has just launched an app which allows them to view insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) information via their smartphone.
John Hopkins University, meanwhile, has teamed up with Thread Research to look at using Apple Watches and iPhone sensors to collect heart rate sensors to monitor seizures in a bid to predict seizures in patients with epileptics.
And in clinical trials, Medidata recently partnered with Validic, expanding its mHealth tool belt through the integration of data collected through platforms including Garmin, Fitbit, and Jawbone.