Vivera Pharmaceuticals, an innovative, science-driven pharmaceutical company located in Southern California, has announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted its ZICOH technology a second US Patent, No. 11,090,449.  The second patent grant as it secures ZICOH’s rights as a smart inhaler device featuring automated dose delivery, measurement, and management of medications. This news comes just one week after ZICOH received US Patent No. 11,083,850, recognizing ZICOH as a dose-controlled medication delivery device.

A rapid increase in the prevalence of respiratory disorders requiring medications in an inhalable format, like asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is increasing the demand for innovative inhaler devices like ZICOH. While primarily used to treat respiratory illnesses, inhalable medications are also used in the treatment of non-respiratory diseases like epilepsy, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease, furthering ZICOH’s capabilities as an inhaler device.

Advancements in inhalation therapies and the development of novel inhalable medications to improve treatment options for patients are expected to propel the demand for leading players and technologies like ZICOH in the global inhalable drug and device market. Vivera is a company focused on improving the quality of drug delivery systems, leading to increased efficacy, more effective disease management, and ultimately, enhanced patient compliance. As it keeps innovating in the drug delivery space, the company has filed additional patents around the ZICOH technology and has several more in preparation.

“We have designed ZICOH and the supporting firmware, software, database, network, and security elements around it as a programmable and reconfigurable system for numerous applications,” said Dr. Mehdi Hatamian, chief scientific advisor for Vivera. “The system is capable of adapting to the requirements for delivering numerous drugs in various modalities. Its use as an inhaler is one such example in Vivera’s pipeline of technologies.”

At its core, ZICOH is a smart, secure, inhaler device featuring medication dosage control and delivery as part of a fully-integrated medication management system.  The device can be programmed by the prescribing physician and dispensing pharmacist to control and individualize the prescribed medication dosage amount, frequency, and maximum dosage for each patient.  This closed-loop system enables the provider the ability to monitor both the efficacy of treatment and track medications known to have an increased risk for abuse and addiction. When patients do not take medications as prescribed, it can adversely affect patient outcomes, including length and quality of life, and the overall cost of care.