Turbu+TM (AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK)
The SmartTurbo/Hailie EMD has been used by AstraZeneca to launch Turbu+.
The Turbu+ consists of three components, the electronic device that
attaches to a Turbohaler, an application for the patients and an online
portal allowing HCPs access to the same actuation data(43). During
inhalation, the date and time of actuation is recorded, but inhaler
technique is not assessed. Scheduled reminders can be set by the
patients and if a dose was not taken 30 minutes after the scheduled
inhalation, a “missed-medication” motivational message is sent
automatically. Patients also receive a weekly motivational push
notification in the application (e.g. ‘Great week. You’ve been following
your prescription this week! Keep it up!”)(44).
In a small real-world study including 32 adult asthma patients, the
number of actuations recorded by the EMD was compared to patient
reported inhalations. A total of 932 medication doses were verified by
the EMD with a total of 796 doses (85.4%) registered by the patient. A
false positive rate of 3.5% was registered (patient recorded but not
EMD recorded) as well as a false negative rate of 11.1% (EMD recorded
but not patient recorded). The reminders and motivational messages were
found to be useful in 50% of patients only, however this study was
limited in length (14-21 days) and the patient cohort reported high
levels of adherence prior to the study(44).