Wellinks announces IRB approved study

Wellinks, a leader in innovative respiratory technologies today announced the initiation of an IRB approved research pilot study for patients previously diagnosed with COPD.

The study, led by primary investigator Dr. Brian D. Gelbman, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital, will utilize a Bluetooth™ enabled version of Wellinks' Flyp Nebulizer and a suite of connected diagnostic tools including spirometry and pulse-oximetry. The devices communicate wirelessly with the Wellinks app on the user's phone. The data is then pushed to a HIPAA secure cloud environment to be displayed in dashboards and reports. The study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of collecting and tracking information essential to the management of patients with COPD including adherence to medication regimen, lung health, and symptoms onset among others. Investigators will also assess engagement and satisfaction with the Wellinks solution.

"Getting into the field with our first digital health offering and welcoming patients on the platform is an exciting milestone for us," says Wellinks President Geoff Matous. "The company is on a mission to reinvent respiratory care around the people who need it. The journey to improving outcomes and patient engagement in COPD includes generating objective data – this study is the first of many."

"The Flyp Nebulizer has always been popular with my patients with its cutting-edge design, said Dr. Gelbman. Now that Wellinks has made Flyp Nebulizer a smart device and developed the Wellinks software, I am eager to test the ability of this solution to offer comprehensive monitoring of COPD patients. Our hope is that with better home monitoring, we can detect exacerbations, understand medication compliance and usage, and adjust therapy to prevent clinical worsening. This could be immensely useful in the care of COPD patients, many of whom are homebound and have difficulty travelling to office visits, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the name for a group of diseases that cause breathing problems. As many as 25 million Americans live with COPD, the nation's fourth leading cause of death and one of the costliest conditions. Wellinks research shows that despite greater than 80% of COPD sufferers would be open to digital health tools, only 10% use them today. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on those living with COPD, including 71% reporting emotional stress.