Media Release
Smartinhaler secures New Zealand distribution agreement
Auckland, 8th August 2005 – Auckland company Nexus6 has secured an agreement with nationwide medical device distributor
Medica Pacifica for sales of its range of Smartinhaler® asthma management systems. The agreement is expected to generate
significant local sales of Smartinhaler which Nexus6 has been developing for the last three years.
Nexus6 CEO Garth Sutherland says he is delighted with the agreement. “Medica Pacifica is a well established company with
strong links to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and patients. Their experience with other medical devices like blood
glucose meters has many parallels with Smartinhaler in their use to help monitor and manage the condition more
accurately for better control.”
“Nexus6 has focused its activities on product development and meeting regulatory requirements and is now forming
strategic supply relationships here and in other countries. This approach has allowed us to concentrate on producing
world-class products for the asthma sector.”
“The New Zealand healthcare environment is spread over wide geographical areas. This makes distribution agreements
through existing networks a vital contributor to our success. Most important, it allows us to contact people throughout
New Zealand who can benefit significantly from getting their asthma under control.”
Smartinhaler® consists of a one or more digital Metered Dose Inhalers (puffer) that automatically collect and stores
data on frequency and time of use of asthma medication. This is uploaded to the individuals’ private account on a
website via a personal computer. The website stores, summarises and graphically presents the medication usage and lung
function. It is used to set reminding alarms on the preventative digital inhaler. It also provides educational material
to the patient using multimedia technology.
Nexus6 has developed three separate Smartinhaler solutions Medica Pacifica will be distributing targeted at clinical
researchers (Smartinhaler Research Analyser), health care professionals (Smartinhaler Asthma Management Analyser), and
people with asthma (Smartinhaler Personal Asthma Manager).
Medica Pacifica managing director George Bongiovanni is excited about the potential for the Smartinhaler systems.
“Smartinhaler in a fantastic innovation with the potential to make a huge difference to people’s lives by improving
asthma. We are delighted Nexus6 has chosen us as its partner.”
“Medica Pacifica has traditionally specialised in the diabetes testing market but the development of oral insulin is
moving rapidly towards an inhaled medication system much like asthma. Smartinhaler’s technology has endless applications
for assessing and improving health outcomes and we are excited about the opportunity it presents.”
Nexus6 and the Smartinhaler system is the 2005 winner of the Ministry of Health and Health Informatics New Zealand award
for Excellence in Sharing Health and Disability innovation.
ENDS