Opportunities

Under license from Xhale, pharmaceutical companies can create breath-detectible SMART versions of current branded therapeutic drugs, with new label claims on the ability to monitor patient adherence via the breath. Breath-detectible SMART versions of drugs that are currently generics can also be developed, creating a new branded version of the generic with new label claims.

The most likely candidates for early SMART drugs are those where behavioral challenges make patient adherence especially critical, as well as established drugs with known issues of safety and efficacy which can be effectively addressed by monitoring and reporting on patient adherence to dosing/timing regimen. Opportunities include management of cognitive impairment (Alzheimer's and similar diseases), infectious diseases (tuberculosis and HIV), seizure disorders and certain psychiatric disorders.

SMART drugs can benefit patients served by behavioral (psychiatric) specialty health care providers, where 170 million people are covered by behavioral health plans and receive medication and special care critical to their daily functionality. Other segments of the disease management market where SMART drugs can benefit both patients and providers include diabetes, CHF, COPD, stroke and neurological diseases, where measuring patient adherence can be a key tool in determining efficacy of therapeutic agents.

Later generations of SMART drugs will add additional features, not only reporting on medication adherence but adding the ability to perform therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and metabolic pathway monitoring.