GLOBAL digital health leader ResMed has announced a minority investment in Lenus Health, an Edinburgh-headquartered health-tech startup and recent winner of the NHSX AI Health and Care Award that specialises in improving outcomes and lowering costs for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Lenus Health’s pioneering technology combines wearables and artificial intelligence to remotely monitor a COPD patient’s wellbeing, predict when their condition may worsen, and enable their care teams to intervene earlier, helping prevent exacerbations and hospitalisations. The service features user-centric design and has demonstrated sustained patient engagement with two-way messaging between patients and caregivers, reminders, and personalised tools for patients to self-manage their condition.
Interim analyses of clinical trial data show use of Lenus’ COPD Support Service is linked to reductions of both emergency room admissions by 28% and hospital bed days per patient per year up to 38%.
Antoine Valterio, ResMed UK Country Manager and Board Member at the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI), said:
“Lenus Health’s achievements underscore the power of digital health to improve people’s lives, delivering care closer to home while also significantly reducing healthcare costs for whole systems. ResMed is looking forward to helping Lenus Health accelerate the adoption of digital health and AI technologies in the NHS and abroad, as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting a thriving UK health tech sector”.
Lenus CEO and co-founder Paul McGinness said: “ResMed’s investment represents a significant milestone for Lenus Health. ResMed is a global market leader in respiratory care and will help us accelerate adoption of our digital COPD Support Service in the UK and beyond. As we look to scale our technology, we are excited to have a partner who shares our focus on preventative care and recognises Lenus Health’s work in developing AI technologies that can be integrated into live point-of-care workflows, demonstrate clear clinical utility, and adhere to the principles of ethical and explainable AI.”
Dr Chris Carlin, a Consultant Respiratory Physician at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, stated: “COPD is a common, progressive, preventable and treatable respiratory disorder. Implementing a digital solution that securely integrates new health data and predictive AI insights with our existing service has enabled us to make cost-effective, evidence-based interventions that were previously impossible. I believe that technologies such as Lenus’ are critical to healthcare’s necessary transition from reactive to proactive, value-based care. We are seeing its impact first-hand through improved quality of life and clinical outcomes for our patients.”
ResMed also provides digitally connected solutions for people with COPD and other respiratory diseases. It is a top-5 global producer of hospital-to-home ventilators, with remote monitoring capability available across Europe and other regions. It also provides a sensor-and-app solution to people with COPD and asthma inhalers via an owned subsidiary, Propeller Health. The solution helps encourage patients’ adherence to regular medication, and is shown to help reduce emergency visits by 53%.
