German deal to boost Funhaler sales By Elicia Kennedy "The West...

German deal to boost Funhaler sales

By Elicia Kennedy "The West Australian"



PERTH biotech Visiomed's Funhaler children's asthma device is poised to break into Europe after the company's first international development alliance with a German drug company.

Pari, one of the world's first companies to develop devices that deliver inhaled medications, has struck an agreement to collaborate with Visiomed in adapting the Funhaler for sale in Europe.

The Funhaler, which incorporates a whistle and a glow-in-the-dark spinning disc, was developed by Perth molecular oncologist and Visiomed director Paul Watt, as a fun and easy way to encourage his two children to take their asthma medications.

But while it is the only device of its kind worldwide, Visiomed chief executive Saliba Sassine said he recognised it would be difficult to displace other inhalers in the marketplace.

Instead, Visiomed hopes to sell InfaMed, its paediatric respiratory devices arm, or license the Funhaler technology to established companies like Pari.

"People are going to trust their own products," Mr Sassine said. "But there is no reason we can't do a deal and get the royalties."

A $1 million Funhaler study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health and conducted by asthma researchers at the University of Western Australia and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, would further support the device, Dr Sassine said.

A previous study found that 73 per cent of parents reported successfully medicating their children with the Funhaler compared with 10 per cent of conventional spacer users.

It also showed parents were more likely to give the medication because it was a less stressful experience for both the child and the parent.

Visiomed is finalising production details for the Funhaler with Australian manufacturers and has entered collaborative agreements with asthma foundations around Australia to promote the product.

It expects to launch the Funhaler later this year.

Visiomed also anticipates FDA approval and is negotiating with a number of US companies to license out its technology or sell InfaMed.

Shares in the company, which is also involved in medical imaging, have traded between 2.6¢ and 6.9¢ over the past year. They closed yesterday down 0.2¢ at 6.7¢, valuing Visiomed at about $11.8 million.


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