Sanofi Strikes Deal To Develop Respiratory Health App

• 15 Nov 2019
• NEWS

• 
  Tom Gallen@tomgalllenOTC[email protected]

ResApp – a digital health company developing apps for the diagnosis of respiratory illness – has granted Sanofi the option to negotiate and acquire the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize a respiratory disease self-assessment app specifically for consumers. Sanofi has until 7 March 2020 to exercise the option.

The two firms are currently working together to build an app which can leverage ResApp’s “novel cough-based respiratory disease diagnostic algorithms” to provide at-home support to consumers. This collaboration is taking place through the Startup Creasphere Digital Health program in Munich, which Sanofi has supported since the start of the year to help the company “develop new and innovative healthcare solutions for our consumers.” (Also see "Going ‘Beyond The Pill’ – Sanofi To Partner With Digital Health Start-ups In Europe " - HBW Insight, 24 Jan, 2019.)

Through the deal, Sanofi has an exclusive license to use the outcomes generated under the Startup Creasphere program.

ResApp’s CEO Tony Keating said he expected the collaboration with Sanofi to yield a “unique and important standalone product” which would complement the Australian firm’s existing portfolio.

Diagnosis Via Sound

The company claims to have pioneered algorithms that can accurately characterize the state of patients’ respiratory tracts. Its platform technology can be delivered via a smartphone and only requires the sound of the patient’s cough or breathing to diagnose and measure the severity of respiratory conditions.

ResApp says its platform is backed by clinical studies demonstrating accurate diagnosis of lower respiratory tract disease, upper respiratory tract infections, asthma/reactive airway disease, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, croup, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.

In August, ResApp’s first commercial product received CE Mark certification as a class IIa medical device, allowing it to be sold in the European Economic Area. Designed for use by clinicians, ResAppDx-EU is claimed by the company to be the world’s first smartphone-based diagnostic test for acute pediatric respiratory disease.

A De Novo classification request for the product has also been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration which the application currently pending review.

Digital Key For Sanofi

Sanofi has made digital health a key part of its strategy as it looks to offer consumers health support that “goes beyond the pill”. Last year, the firm launched its UWell digital platform in Italy to “simplify consumers’ approach to managing their health, provide easy access to information, and provide an insight on wellness issues”. (Also see "Sanofi Targeting Online With Partner Accenture" - HBW Insight, 8 Jun, 2018.)

An app that can help consumers diagnose or manage disease has the potential to be used to convince regulators to switch from prescription-to-OTC status drugs for the management of chronic conditions.

The FDA, for example, is exploring a new approach to encouraging switching, particularly for chronic conditions, which allows sponsors to tap into digital media and other tools to help demonstrate that consumers can assess whether an OTC drug is appropriate for them and that they can use the product safely.