Inogen acquires Simeox airway clearance device
Physio-Assist's technology can be used in pulmonary rehab centers or at home
Inogen has acquired Physio-Assist, including Simeox, a technology for airway clearance and mucus management in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).
The company will continue marketing Simeox in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, while pursuing regulatory clearance in the U.S.
This acquisition will expand Inogen’s portfolio of respiratory products, according to the company, granting access to the growing market opportunity in airway clearance.
“Physio-Assist’s Simeox product provides a differentiated and clinically proven innovative airway clearance technology which will add a sizable, growing, and underserved airway clearance market opportunity in support of our strategy to become a multi-portfolio global respiratory care company,” Nabil Shabshab, Inogen’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
“Welcoming Physio-Assist to Inogen will add the Simeox airway clearance and mucus management solution to our portfolio and allow us to positively impact patients earlier in their disease journey,” Shabshab said.
CF is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, leading to the production of abnormally thick and sticky mucus in the lungs and other organs. This leads to respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, shortness of breath, chronic cough, and frequent lung infections.
Simeox mainly aims to treat bronchiectasis, a condition in which the lungs’ airways — the tubes that carry air into the lungs — are damaged and widened. It occurs frequently in patients with CF or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
How the airway clearance device works
The device is designed for efficient and fatigue-free mucus drainage, by delivering a so-called pneumatic vibratory signal during exhalation that liquefies mucus in less than two seconds. The signal can spread to distal parts of the airways, allowing succesful clearance of these difficult-to-reach peripheral airways.
While using the device, patients breathe at tidal volume — the volume of air inhaled and exhaled during a normal breath — with gentle exhalation, so they do not experience fatigue during treatment sessions.
The device can be used in pulmonary rehabilitation centers and also at home after training by a healthcare professional.
When using the device, patients need to adjust the number of exhalations (six, eight, or 10), and the intensity of the signal power (25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%). It can be used by patients age 8 and older.
“I am pleased that Inogen can now deliver a broader set of effective solutions, empowering patients to better manage their respiratory conditions in the comfort of their homes while allowing the benefits of ambulation,” Shabshab added.
Inogen offers respiratory products that can be used at home, particularly portable oxygen concentrators to deliver long-term supplemental oxygen therapy to people with chronic respiratory conditions.
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