The AIRS Oxygen Therapy Market Opportunity
The Oxygen Therapy Market
Over 4.2 million beds for patients in hospitals, long-term care, nursing homes, and home-care need to be equipped with oxygen in the United States. Oxygen therapy is a prominent therapeutic treatment for patients suffering with Interstitial Lung Disease, COVID, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, COPD, and many other life-threatening conditions.
AIRS Oxygen Therapy Solutions
Advanced Interactive Response Systems (AIRS) was founded to bring needed oxygen monitoring, regulation, data and reporting solutions to the market. AIRS produces high-quality safety and monitoring products that improve patient health and care-giver performance.
Market Expansion
Our mission is to be the leader in technology and quality of care solutions for COPD and O2 therapy patients by partnering with quality organizations and dedicating ourselves to improving the lives of oxygen dependent patients, the institutions and care-givers who rely on O2 therapy.
Strategic Growth
Since its founding in 2014 and it’s very first patent, AIRS continues to make great strides by first bringing the Moisture Exchange Tubing product that works with any oxygen system to market. Since then, we have worked hard to make the Oxygen Flow Monitor and web app ready to be tested and introduced to patients in the US and worldwide.
We have the expertise, team, partners and resources to accomplish our objectives.
Management Team
| Valerie Obenchain, Founder & CEO RRT, BSM Valerie acts as an advisor for the American Medical Device Summit with over 20 years of respiratory experience with 7 years management at Spectrum Health and Allcare Healthcare. |
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Diana Kasza, CFO, Accredited Business Accountant Experienced in business consulting, financial services, taxation and payroll with over 20 years’ experience in accounting. Also, CEO at Simply Counted Business Services. |
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Arieh Halpern; VP Operations, BA Thirty years of experience in medical devices where he has led many multi-million-dollar medical device projects with Medtronic and similar large companies. |
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Becky Grice; Marketing Coordinator, BS Experienced IT consultant, marketing and global business. |
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Adam Heintzelman; Manager of Product Development, BSM |
Scientific Advisory Team
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Robert Joyce, MD Emergency physician, currently serving as the medical director for the Respiratory program at Ferris State University and Chairman of the Credentials Committee at Spectrum Health. |
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Gene Parunak BSME Product development professional responsible for two successful med tech startups, 43 issued patents, and founded in2being, LLC to focus on helping small companies navigate new product development and the FDA submission & approval processes. |
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Ruth Tal-Singer PhD President of The COPD Foundation and internationally recognized as an innovative, patient-focused and highly analytical healthcare leader and clinical scientist with extensive research and development experience. |
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Patrick Pestalozzi MBA Mentor and active professional involved in areas of growth strategies, product management, organizational design, international development, and sales performance. |
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Greg Last MBA, MSE Fifteen years in quality and regulatory leadership experience specifically in the medical devices arena and experience in a combination of large multinationals and several startups. |
Intellectual Property
We have invested in developing key patents that allow the use of our system with other pressured gases, liquids, and flowable solids.
AIRS products are protected by three utility patents issued in the United States. Two other patents have also been filed for future products. AIRS also has patents in Australia, Canada, and the European Union.
| PATENT #865979 Gas Flow and Pressure Error Alarm |
| PATENT #9715860 Gas Supply Warning and Communication System |
| PATENT #3 – 10821243 Description: Gas Supply Warning and Communication System |
Key Partners
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the US. The COPD Foundation is committed to help AIRS with clinical studies to help combat COPD with our solutions.
The COPD foundation is offering their support for our efforts to win grants and develop a Portable Oxygen Concentrator with remote monitoring and flow adjustment features. The COPD Foundation is known for mobilizing digital health innovations to treat a broad spectrum of lung and respiratory diseases with a stark focus on COPD, non-CF bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease.
Global pulse oximetry OEM Nonin provides support to AIRS digital healthcare innovations to address secondary health effects related to multifaceted impacts of COVID-19. AIRS Oxygen Flow Monitor will work seamlessly with Nonin’s SpO2 pulse oximetry module and sensor components and allow us to tap into their current total install base of 2 million units. This approach of using proven technology to expedite our product development is poised to improve program efficiency and mitigate technical risk in our plan to help bring meaningful innovation to the market.
Development Timeline
Our product development roadmap includes achieving targets for market readiness to establish AIRS as a technology and Quality of Care leader for COPD and O2 therapy patients.
2014 |
Advanced Interactive Response Systems (AIRS) founded. First patent issued in the United States. The Founder Round was completed. |
2018 |
IPF Catalyst Challenge Winner We closed our Seed Round. AIRS wins the IPF Catalyst challenge and $333,333 grant. |
2019 |
Moisture Exchange Tubing – FDA Cleared and In-Market First of its kind in portable O2 humidifiers, the Moisture Exchange Tubing uses the humidity from the air to give patients the same relative humidity from the environment to provide 6 months of portable humidity and resists bacterial growth for better patient health. |
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Moisture Exchange Tubing receives FDA Clearance. AIRS becomes an FDA registered company. AIRS receives SBA loan. |
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2021 |
AIRS Web-App and Oxygen Flow Monitor completed Established key partnerships for clinical testing with The COPD Foundation. |
Development Targets in Process
2022 |
Oxygen Flow Monitor and App Dash - Testing For FDA Validation The OFM tracks and monitors, pulse, oxygen flow, tank status, and battery levels. Paired with the app, the OFM provides diagnostics to caregivers and sends text notifications that can prove vital information. |
2024 |
Remote Portable Oxygen Concentrator – Prototype in development The Remote Portable Oxygen Concentrator delivers higher O flows with remote monitoring of pulse, SpO2, flow, and battery levels. Has a unique ability to adjust O2 flows with a wrist SpO2 display that gives patients the power to control their O2 flow with the push of a button. |
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Digital Regulator Plus – Prototype in Development The digital regulator plus shows users how long they have in minutes until their O2 tank is empty allowing them to make critical decisions about O2 tank inventories, tank changes, and improving O2 therapy. |
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2025 |
Automatic Changeover System – Prototype in Development The automatic changeover system used together with the oxygen flow monitor or digital regulator plus, this device acts as a backup when signaled by the AIRS device. It's backup O2 tank helps ensure the patients O2 is restored if their primary O2 source has issues. |
Customer Acquisition & Distribution
We will distribute Oxygen Flow Monitors and future devices to key customer segments using FDA-cleared third-party manufacturers capable of providing warehousing and logistics services. Subscriptions to the AIRS App will be sold directly to patients and consumers.
Manufacturing Partners:
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Distribution Partners:
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