CAMBRIDGE, 25 April 2018 – The prestigious A’ Design Award, a competition which celebrates the world’s leading designs, concepts and design-orientated products, has awarded the k-haler® device two awards. The k-haler® device – which will be marketed in the UK by Napp Pharmaceuticals Ltd when it launches later this year – received platinum awards for its innovative design in the “Scientific Instruments, Medical Devices and Research Equipment Design” and “Ease of Use and Universal Design” categories, impressing the jury panel of 212 design professionals, press members and academics. This year, the competition attracted entries from across 100 countries.
The k-haler® device is a novel aerosol device with a simple breath-actuated mechanism, activated with a low inspiratory force. The device and packaging were designed with the patient and clinician in mind, aimed at helping to address some of the day-to-day challenges faced by patients using an inhaler, and to improve correct device usage.
Ross Grey, Napp’s Director of Primary Care commented that “we’re delighted that the k-haler® device has been recognised for its innovative design, which is testament to the research and development that went into the device. At Napp, we want to add value to the NHS through more than products, and the k-haler® does precisely this. Our aim with the k-haler® is to help patients use their asthma device correctly, thereby hopefully improving their long-term outcomes whilst helping the NHS deliver high-quality and sustainable healthcare.”
Research indicates that errors in inhaler technique are frequent (made by over 30% of patients in some cases) and are associated with poor outcomes.[i] Evidence suggests that inhaler type and patient preference are important factors influencing treatment outcomes in patients.[ii] Furthermore, ongoing training may also influence the efficiency of drug delivery, patient adherence and long-term control.[iii] Research has also demonstrated that simple techniques, such as attaching instruction labels to patients’ inhalers, have been shown to improve retention of good inhaler technique.[iv]
Earlier this year, the k-haler® device won an iF DESIGN AWARD, triumphing in the “Packaging Design” discipline of the “Medicine / Pharmaceutics” category, and was recognised for its innovative patient information packaging and online training tools.[v] Napp hopes that with its award-winning device and packaging, k-haler® will help improve correct device usage in patients with respiratory disease.
k-haler® received a positive outcome from the European Decentralised Procedure (DCP) in October 2017, and is planned to launch in the UK later this year. The k-haler® device’s patented technology has the potential to be suitable for a range of inhaled products.
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Notes to editors
About Napp Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Napp Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a UK pharmaceutical company based in the heart of the Cambridge science community, and part of a worldwide network of independently associated companies across 48 countries. Napp has grown up with the NHS, providing innovative medicines to patients in the UK since the 1920s. Napp is committed to improving patient outcomes and ensuring the sustainability of healthcare. At Napp, we are proud of our heritage, which began in the treatment of chronic pain and has expanded into respiratory medicine, oncology and inflammatory disorders. For more information, please visit www.napp.co.uk
About the k-haler® device
k-haler® is a novel aerosol device with a unique breath-actuated mechanism, utilising a patented ‘kinked’ valve – the k-valveTM. The inhaler, which is activated with a low inspiratory force, is designed with the aim to make it easier for patients to use correctly.
About the A’ Design Award & Competition
For the last nine years, the A’ Design Award & Competition has highlighted the excellent qualifications of best designs, design concepts and design-oriented products worldwide in all creative disciplines and industries. Submissions across 110 categories from aerospace to architecture to medical devices are judged by a 212-strong International Design Academy – The Grand A’ Design Award Jury Panel – composed of design professionals, press members and academics. For more information, please visit: https://competition.adesignaward.com/index.html.
® K-HALER is a registered trademark of Mundipharma.
K-VALVETM is a trademark of Mundipharma
References
[i] D.Price et al. “Inhaler errors in the CRITIKAL Study: type, frequency and association with asthma outcomes”. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2017 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2017.01.004
[ii] Haughney J, et al. Achieving asthma control in practice: understanding the reasons for poor control. Respir Med 2008;102:1681–93
[iii] GINA. Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. 2017.
[iv] Basheti IA et al. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med 2017;27:9.
[v] iF DESIGN AWARDS 2018 https://ifworlddesignguide.com/search?search=k-haler#/page/entry/232843-k-haler/
