Timing is everything in quitting

A US company developing technology to help people stop tobacco smoking has raised $47.6 million to finance clinical trials and investigate other conditions that it might target, according to a story by Dominic Coyle for the Irish Times.

Chrono Therapeutics is said to have developed a device that delivers nicotine through the skin in set doses at set intervals timed to coincide with the peak of the craving cycle.

The success of the second round of fundraising was said to have been a boost for Ireland’s Fountain Healthcare Partners, which was one of three founding investors in the group.

Fountain invested further in the group in the second round, which included a wide range of VC funds and was led by Californian group Kaiser Permanente Ventures.

Chrono’s technology combines drug delivery through the skin, embedded sensor technology to monitor compliance, and connected and personalized behavior change support via smartphone.

The company recently won a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer award for its technology.

It is targeting initially the challenge of stopping smoking, but there is optimism that the technology could be used also to address Parkinson’s disease and addiction to prescription drugs, and that it could help people manage chronic pain.

The company is banking on the fact that the timed and personalized nicotine-dose system can deliver better results among smokers looking to quit over a 10-week period than can the current stable of nicotine patches and gums.