Technology

Respiri signs referral agreement with APA to proliferate wheezo in Australia

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By George Tchetvertakov - 
Respiri ASX RSH Australian Patients Association APA asthma wheezo

APA will refer asthma patients to Respiri for its wheezo device and platform.

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eHealth company Respiri (ASX: RSH) has taken another step towards growing sales of its wheezo device ahead of its October launch, after signing a three-year product referral agreement (PRA) with the Australian Patients Association (APA).

The partnership was first announced last week with the formal referral agreement unveiled earlier today.

Respiri has confirmed that it is in the process of manufacturing the first batch of 3,000 wheezo devices with a due delivery date cites as mid-October 2020.

The APA is an independent charity that supports over 1 million patients and around 15,000 health care practitioners across Australia.

According to Respiri, the referral agreement will serve as a means of empowering the APA to support asthma sufferers through Respiri’s wheezo experiential program – a real-world asthma management study designed to support patients living with the disease.

Data from the APA shows that as much as many as 2.7 million people (around 11% of Australians) suffer from the illness.

“The APA is dedicated to championing and protecting the rights and interests of all patients and improving overall patient care and health outcomes,” APA chief executive officer Stephen Mason said.

“We are keen to support this study and see Wheezo utilised in the real-world, tested by patients and their doctors, so that we can better understand the role it plays in asthma management and improvements in individual asthma care,” he added.

Wheezo momentum

Under the terms of the agreement, Respiri has appointed the APA on a non-exclusive basis to provide Respiri with patient referrals, thereby tapping into the APA customer network, database and referral codes once the wheezo device is launched in October.

In exchange for referrals, Respiri has agreed to pay APA a “small commission” on all wheezo sales, although the company remained tight-lipped about specific commission values.

“We are delighted to have extended our productive relationship with the APA beyond our patient experiential program to a commercial agreement that seeks to educate and build awareness of the benefits of Wheezo to APA’s extensive patient network within Australia,” Respiri chief executive officer Marjan Mikel said.

“[Our relationship] will ultimately benefit patients in the management of their asthma with real-time measurements of wheeze delivered in a manner that allows clinicians to make informed decisions on asthma management and suitable interventions for their patients outside of the traditional clinical setting,” he added.