Every 21 minutes in the UK a child with asthma is admitted to hospital as an emergency. Yet an estimated 75% of hospital admissions for asthma are avoidable and as many as 90% of the deaths from asthma are preventable.
What can be done stop these avoidable admissions and preventable deaths? Quvium hopes to hold the answer.
Quvium is developing a compact, wearable medical device that can enable early intervention, avoiding emergency hospitalisations and A&E visits. It does this by continuously monitoring coughs, which are a proven early indicator for attacks of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If cough frequency increases it then alerts the patient and/or their caregiver(s) an attack may be imminent, so to take precautionary medication.
Not only could this new technology hopefully save lives, the NHS could benefit by tremendous cost savings – upwards of 30% – from reduced A&E visits and hospitalisations due to respiratory events. Moreover, it is anticipated that each GP could save at least £37,600 each year, in penalty costs of avoidable admissions of their patients.
This round is being led by Mark Murcko, a senior pharmaceutical executive who has held posts at companies including Schrödinger, Nimbus Discovery and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Mark is also co-inventor of four marketed drugs, is a lecturer at MIT and is an active consultant, advisor, and board member for around 20 diverse for-profit and non-profit organisations.
Quvium has established its medical advisory of private and research physicians whom are luminaries in cough profiles of respiratory diseases, to help define the product and market features needed by patients, doctors, and the NHS. Quvium has working prototypes, has ran non-clinical tests and its technology is supported by a robust international patent portfolio.
In addition, Quvium has secured a committed £500k matched convertible loan from Extension East Kent, a Fund established by Kent County Council, which is KCC’s largest convertible note to date.