Inspired Technologies, a North Huntingdon, PA, company that makes respiratory devices, has received 510(k) clearance for its VIAspire Oxygen Portable product. The device, part of Inspired’s VIAspire Personal Oxygen System, provides a ready supply of liquid oxygen for patients requiring oxygen therapy, such as those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
The VIAspire Oxygen Portable features Inspired’s SmartDose technology, a proprietary algorithm that responds to patient‘s breath rates. The technology delivers more oxygen when the patient needs it most, supporting optimal oxygen saturation levels and thus promoting activity.
Last month, another component of the VIAspire Personal Oxygen System, the VIAspire Liquefier, received FDA 510(k) clearance. The Liquefier creates liquid oxygen in the home from the patient’s oxygen concentrator. The Oxygen Portable docks to the Liquefier, allowing it to fill faster and last longer than transfilled gas portables on the market.
“Unlike other systems that focus on oxygen conservation, the VIAspire system focuses on oxygen saturation,” said Dan Easley, CEO of Inspired Technologies, in a press release. “Patients don’t feel breathless, so they stay active.”
Inspired, formerly called COPD Partners, relocated from Boulder, CO, to southwestern Pennsylvania in early 2006, following a $2.5 million investment in the company by Pittsburgh-based Birchmere Ventures.
At the time of the move, CEO Easley told Pittsburgh Business Times that his then three-person company would be easier to staff up because of ongoing research taking place at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.