Qualcomm and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals collaborate to add new digital technology to RESPIMAT® inhaler

SAN DIEGO, Calif. and RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, Inc., today announced a new collaboration to develop a connectivity solution for the RESPIMAT inhaler, the platform inhaler for the Boehringer Ingelheim family of respiratory therapies, to help improve COPD treatment outcomes. The collaboration will be announced at Qualcomm Life's fifth annual Connect 2016 ecosystem conference, taking place on August 30 and August 31, 2016 in San Diego, California.

"For more than 40 years, Boehringer Ingelheim has had an unwavering commitment to the COPD community to provide new health solutions that can help improve patient outcomes and expand our understanding of COPD," said Ruchin Kansal, Executive Director and Head, Business Innovation, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "Boehringer Ingelheim is proud to join forces with Qualcomm Life, a global leader in wireless technologies, to bring the latest technology to our RESPIMAT inhaler with the goal of improving adherence to daily medicines that treat symptoms of COPD."

"Qualcomm Life is committed to powering the Internet of Medical Things to ultimately enable intelligent care to be delivered wherever the patient may be," said Rick Valencia, president, Qualcomm Life, Inc. "We are excited to be collaborating with an industry leader like Boehringer Ingelheim to deliver a more seamless digital health experience that can enable their COPD patients to better manage their disease."

Through its 2net™* Design platform, Qualcomm Life is developing the prototype for a small, wireless, low-power, disposable module for the RESPIMAT inhaler. This fully-integrated inhaler, which is designed to seamlessly connect with Qualcomm Life's 2net Platform, will be able to track puffs from the RESPIMAT inhaler, and the collected information can be shared with health care providers and people who have been prescribed one of Boehringer Ingelheim's RESPIMAT medicines.

As with other chronic diseases, poor adherence to treatment plans is common among people with COPD and can result in increased rates of COPD symptoms, health care costs, hospitalizations and even death. The collaboration seeks to combine Boehringer Ingelheim's global leadership in discovering and developing COPD medicines with Qualcomm Life's expertise in developing reference designs for wireless, single-use and small integrated modules to create a solution to support adherence to daily treatment regimens.

The RESPIMAT is the platform inhaler for the Boehringer Ingelheim respiratory medications. For more information about the RESPIMAT inhaler and the medicines approved for use in the RESPIMAT, please visit www.us.respimat.com.  

Leveraging Qualcomm Life's deep wireless expertise and technologies, 2net Design is a platform for designing the communications components of connected medical devices, including disposable drug delivery devices and disposable diagnostic devices for condition specific connected therapies.

About Connect 2016
Sponsored by Lenovo Health, UnitedHealthcare, Amazon Web Services, EVRY USA, Striiv, Olumia Life, and GlobalLogic, Connect 2016 brings together connected health industry leaders for an engaging knowledge exchange on cutting edge topics including security, unlocking data and insights to power intelligent care, and a seamless care continuum. For updates and to join real-time conversations from Connect 2016, follow @qualcommlife and #qualcommconnect on Twitter and visit our YouTube channel to view the presentations.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, the company operates globally with 145 affiliates and more than 47,000 employees. Since its founding in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel treatments for human and veterinary medicine.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and providing valuable services and support to patients and their families.  Our employees create and engage in programs that strengthen our communities. To learn more about how we make more health for more people, visit our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

In 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about $15.8 billion (14.8 billion euros). R&D expenditure corresponds to 20.3 percent of its net sales.

For more information please visit www.us.boehringer-ingelheim.com, or follow us on Twitter @BoehringerUS.

About Qualcomm 
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 30 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

* 2net is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries.

Qualcomm Contacts: 
Emily Kilpatrick, Corporate Communications 
Phone:  1-858-845-5959 
Email:  [email protected]

Jamie Eisinger 
Qualcomm Life, Inc. 
Phone: 1-858-845-1033 
Email: [email protected]

John Sinnott, Investor Relations
Phone:  1-858-658-5431
Email:  [email protected]

Boehringer Ingelheim Contact: 
Christopher Wahlers 
Phone: 1-203-798-4375 
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated

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