Chiesi Group and Aptar partner to bring to market Disease Management Platform for Patients with Asthma and COPD

• The new Digital Health Solution aims at offering patients and healthcare professionals a comprehensive set of services and solutions targeted at improving outcomes for chronic respiratory diseases.

Parma (Italy) and Crystal Lake (Illinois) October 18^th, 2022 – Chiesi Group, the international research-focused biopharmaceutical and healthcare group, and Aptar Digital Health, part of Aptar Pharma, a global leader in drug delivery and active material science solutions and services, today announced a strategic partnership to bring to market a disease management platform for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The partnership will leverage Aptar’s recently announced Disease Management Platform. This platform is designed to: empower patients to better understand and take control of their disease; provide healthcare professionals with data-driven insights to better manage their patients and build evidence for emerging reimbursement arrangements in the field of digital health for asthma and COPD. The platform offers a comprehensive set of services and solutions aimed at bringing together both the pharmacological and behavioural aspects of managing respiratory diseases; these include adherence monitoring, lung function assessment, reporting symptoms and identifying disease triggers and communication with care teams and health coaches. The partnership initially focuses on Europe, with potential future expansions to other geographies.

Respiratory chronic conditions such as asthma and COPD represent an enormous burden on healthcare systems in Europe. It is estimated that 6% of the current European population^[1] is living with asthma, and over 60 million people aged between 30 and 79 years old are thought to be suffering from COPD^[2]. The greatest economic burden of respiratory diseases on health services in the EU is due to the chronic problems of COPD and asthma, at about €40 billion^[3],[4].

Part of the solution to this challenge is to provide healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers with the appropriate tools to promote disease monitoring, adherence to treatment, access to non-pharmacological behavioural interventions, and adequate & sustainable care.

The value and potential benefits of digital health solutions have been stated in the recent European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) report ‘The Asthma and COPD digital Journey in Europe Report’^[5]. The document, which is the result of an EFA survey conducted on more than 900 patients (COPD and asthma), highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for digital transition in healthcare. Particularly, in the field of chronic respiratory diseases, it has increased the willingness among patients to embrace tools that empower them and can help improve outcomes.

“This collaboration reflects our commitment to providing best-in-class level of care for people living with COPD and asthma, going beyond treatments alone and focusing on the patient experience,” commented Alessandro Chiesi, Chief Commercial Officer of the Chiesi Group. “We are looking forward to leveraging Aptar Digital Health’s deep expertise in disease management with the goal to improve the quality of life of patients afflicted with respiratory diseases and procure tools that contribute to the sustainability of healthcare services for chronic conditions.”

“Aptar Digital Health, with its technology and pharma expertise, is uniquely positioned to offer such a complete solution - from software to connected devices to patient monitoring and data analysis,” said Gael Touya, President of Aptar Pharma. “We are delighted to partner with Chiesi and excited to be able to actively contribute to expanding patient access to holistic, end-to-end services that will durably enhance their respiratory disease management.”

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi’s commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. Since 2019 Chiesi is certified B Corp, meaning that its sustainability efforts are measured and assessed by the most ambitious global standards. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group’s and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

About Aptar Digital Health

Aptar Pharma's Digital Health division is part of AptarGroup, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacturing of a broad range of drug delivery, consumer product dispensing and active material science solutions and services. Aptar Digital Health creates end-to-end solutions to enhance patient experiences every day, leveraging a holistic ecosystem of digital interventions. Amplified by an industry-leading portfolio of products and solutions, Aptar Digital Health’s offerings combine mobile and web apps, connected drug delivery systems, onboarding, training and advanced data analytics services to actively empower patients and create a positive treatment journey. Aptar is headquartered in Crystal Lake, Illinois and has 13,000 dedicated employees in 20 countries. For more information, visit www.aptar.com.

Contacts for media Chiesi Group:

Carla Arrieta Martinez

Head of Global External Communication & Media Relations

Tel:    +39 340 8879754

Email   c.arrieta@chiesi.com

Alessio Pappagallo

Press Office Manager

Tel:    +39 339 5897483

Email   a.pappagallo@chiesi.com  

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20210924-1

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5554331/

[3] https://www.erswhitebook.org/chapters/the-economic-burden-of-lung-disease/

[4] ERS - The cost of respiratory disease - ERS (erswhitebook.org)

[5] https://efanet.org/images/2022/EFA_DIG_IT_Full_Report.pdf