APA in deal to sell Respiri’s wheezo to members

Special Report: Fresh off a partnership last week, APA has signed on to refer its members to use Respiri’s asthma management device.

Ehealth company Respiri (ASX:RSH) has secured a commercial deal with the Australian Patients Association (APA), just a week after the duo revealed a partnership last week to give APA members access to the medtech’s real-world respiratory trial.

APA will provide patient referrals to Respiri, harnessing its customer network, database and referral codes once the latter’s wheezo device is launched in October.

In exchange for referrals directly attributable to APA, Respiri will pay APA a small commission on device sales, which Respiri CEO and managing director Marjan Mikel says will largely be put back into the charity’s mission of helping its members.

“Asthma afflicts approximately 11 per cent of Australians and APA has 1.1 million members, which suggests about 120,000 of that organisation’s patients will have the condition,” Mikel told Stockhead.

“The big opportunity for Respiri is that a person who has taken the time to join a patient group, either on their own behalf or on behalf of a loved one, is very engaged with their condition and likely looking for advice or solutions.”

APA also has a partnership with Health Engine, one of the oldest and largest online medical appointment management businesses in Australia.

First a partnership

Respiri’s latest three-year deal follows an agreement last week that sees APA’s 1.1 million patients and 15,000 healthcare practitioners given access to the Respiri wheezo Experiential Program, a real-world asthma management study designed to support people living with the condition.

The study itself is a real-world investigation into how the smart technology in Respiri’s wheezo device — which monitors respiratory wheezes — and app can help asthma patients and their doctors to monitor and log their wheeze, asthma symptoms, medication usage, and importantly, digitise their asthma action plans.

APA is an independent charity dedicated to supporting patients and championing and protecting the rights and interest of all Australian patients.

Mikel was excited to extend the relationship beyond the patient Experiential Program to a commercial agreement.

“This new agreement seeks to educate and build awareness of the benefits of wheezo to APA’s extensive patient network within Australia,” he said.

“We believe this 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.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Respiri, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.