Cipla Launches Spirofy Device in India to Help Test Lung Function
Cipla has launched Spirofy — its wireless, portable device capable of performing lung function tests outdoors and in remote areas — in India, with the hope of better diagnosing people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
The device is the first of its kind in the country, and is designed to make it easier to diagnose lung diseases, according to the company.
“Cipla has been steadfastly focused on addressing the world’s growing respiratory disease burden, and with this launch, we see ourselves steadily advancing to combat chronic respiratory ailments like COPD,” Umang Vohra, Cipla’s managing director and CEO, said in a press release.
“The Spirofy launch aims to help doctors across the country to improve lives of patients through accurate and affordable diagnosis,” Vohra said.
Testing lung function is critical for diagnosing and managing COPD and other lung diseases. Today, the gold standard test for assessing lung function is spirometry.
Spirometry basically involves blowing out air into a specialized device called a spirometer, which then measures the speed and amount of air a person is able to exhale. This allows clinicians to evaluate certain lung function parameters, such as forced expiratory volume or FEV — the amount of air exhaled in a given period of time — and forced vital capacity, or FVC, the total amount of air a person can exhale in one breath.
However, such traditional spirometers are relatively bulky in size, and according to Cipla, they can be difficult to operate and require regular maintenance — all of which have made it difficult to incorporate spirometry into routine medical practice, especially in certain parts of the world, like India, where resources may be scarce.
Cipla’s Spirofy system, developed over the course of five years of research, is a portable, wireless spirometer. According to the company, the device provides accurate spirometry measures and generates real-time reports that can either be printed on-site with a portable wireless thermal printer, or sent as a PDF file via phone.
This full wireless system has a battery backup that, in addition to giving clinicians greater flexibility, makes Spirofy well-suited for use in outdoor camps or remote areas with limited access to reliable electricity, the company said. The system also contains bacterial and viral filters, so it can be used on multiple patients with minimal risk of spreading infections.
“It aims to transform Obstructive Airway Disease (OAD) diagnosis in India,” the company said.
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