Ensuring Medications Reach Premature Infants: InhalPlus Receives 500,000 Euro Investment

© Inhalplus

Medications have barely reached the lungs so far
Many premature infants receive respiratory support in the intensive care unit: a slight positive pressure maintained via small nasal prongs keeps their airways open (CPAP). In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, this affects approximately 37,000 children each year, many of whom develop lung problems. An inhaled medication must travel through the ventilator circuit: the aerosol dilutes in the breathing gas, deposits in the tubing, or is lost through leaks. This is where the InhalPlus Bypass System comes in. It diverts a small portion of the airflow from the ventilator circuit, enriches it with the medication outside the main gas stream, and delivers it directly to the child’s nose. Respiratory support continues uninterrupted during this process. In laboratory tests using a preterm infant respiratory simulator, the system achieved an inhaled dose up to eight times higher than that of the standard clinical system.

From Prototype to Product
The funding enables InhalPlus to further develop its clinical prototype into a production-ready product, prepare the regulatory documentation for subsequent certification as a medical device, and expand the team. At the same time, it serves as the company’s own contribution toward public funding programs. The first clinical trial—a so-called proof-of-concept study—is scheduled to begin in early 2027: The system is then to be used for the first time on premature infants at neonatal centers. The study is funded by IBT Lower Saxony, the Institute for Biomedical Translation of Niedersachsen.next, as part of the “zukunft.niedersachsen” program of the State of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation. The system is scheduled to be launched on the market starting in 2029, initially in selected hospitals in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

© Ralf Borchers

“This is where a clear medical need meets a technology that has been developed in Lower Saxony over many years. These are exactly the kinds of startups we want to support early on,” says Susanne Hauck, investment manager at NBank Capital. “A premature infant inhales only a few milliliters with each breath. Until now, most of an inhaled medication has often been lost on its way to the lungs,” says Dr. Felix Carl Wiegandt, co-founder and CEO of InhalPlus. “Our system is designed to ensure that the medication reaches where it’s supposed to work—in the lungs—even for the smallest patients. With NBank Capital, we have a partner at our side who understands that medical technology requires a long-term commitment.” InhalPlus was founded by Dr. Felix Carl Wiegandt (CEO), Dr. Gerhard Pohlmann (CSO), and Dr. Dirk Schäfer (CFO) and uses patents from the Fraunhofer Society under an exclusive license. In the long term, the company also sees a potential application in respiratory therapy for adults. The 500,000 euros constitute InhalPlus’s pre-seed round; the next round of financing is planned for 2027.

From the Initial Idea to an Innovative Healthcare Solution
InhalPlus received support from hannoverimpuls early on in its journey. As one of the first teams, the startup participated in the Future Health Lab, an innovation program that supported a total of 16 teams in developing and bringing new healthcare solutions to market. Through personalized coaching, hands-on workshops, and access to a network of industry experts and potential investors, InhalPlus was able to further refine its business model in a targeted manner. In 2024, the startup presented its idea at various events, including “Höhle der Karpfen,” hannoverimpuls’s pitch competition. The story of InhalPlus exemplifies how innovative ideas can be transformed into concrete solutions for the healthcare of tomorrow through targeted startup support and networking.

About InhalPlus
InhalPlus GmbH, headquartered in Hanover, is developing a patented platform for the inhalation of active ingredients in patients receiving respiratory support. The initial application is for premature infants receiving non-invasive respiratory support. The company was founded in August 2026 as a spin-off from Fraunhofer ITEM. www.inhalplus.com

InhalPlus GmbH

Dr. Felix Carl Wiegandt, CEO
Fichtestr. 37, 30625 Hanover
Phone +49 151 68423003
felix.wiegandt@inhalplus.com