Two Design Concepts projects receive Silver MDEA recognition

    06 News Med Device Silver Award 2017

    Design Concepts contributed on two products that have won Silver in the prestigious Medical Design Excellence Award. The Corvida Medical® HALO® Closed System Drug-Transfer Device was recognized in the Drug-Delivery and Combination Products category of the 19th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards competition (MDEA). The Pelvalon Eclipse System was recognized in Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Devices category.

    Winners were announced at the 2017 MDEA Ceremony held Tuesday, June 13, 2017 in conjunction with the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Here is a list of the 2017 MDEA winners.

    Both Corvida Medical and Pelvalon are medical device companies that identified an unmet need in the market and came to Design Concepts with early concepts that needed further development.

    Corvida Medical developed a closed system drug-transfer device (CSTD) that is designed to protect healthcare workers from being exposed to hazardous drugs during the preparation and administration of chemotherapy. Design Concepts’ engineers, industrial designers and human factors specialists worked with the Iowa-based startup to create an easy-to-use, airtight and leak-proof, ergonomic system with a visual language that both assists the user and establishes the Corvida brand.

    Pelvalon developed a non-surgical treatment for Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL) that includes a vaginal insert and handheld pump. The Bay Area-startup worked on next-generation versions of the Eclipse System insert and came to Design Concepts with a pump prototype made from off-the-shelf parts. Pelvalon needed help with usability, industrial design and engineering to take the concept to manufacture. Read the case study here.

    “It was incredibly gratifying to work with both of these innovative startups to help them refine and implement their ideas and bring them to market,” said Dave Franchino, President of Design Concepts. “Both of these products significantly improve the lives of their users. It’s wonderful to see them recognized.”

    The MDEA is the medtech industry’s premier design competition committed to recognizing significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility. The awards program celebrates the accomplishments of the medical device manufacturers, their suppliers, and the many people behind the scenes — engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians — who are responsible for the cutting-edge products that are saving lives; improving patient healthcare; and transforming medtech — one innovation at a time.

    The MDEA panel is comprised of medtech experts including a balance of practicing doctors, nurses, and technicians alongside industrial designers, engineers, manufacturers and human factors experts. MDEA jurors comprehensively review entries based on the following criteria: the ability of the product development team to overcome all challenges so the product meets its clinical objectives; innovative use of materials, components, and processes; user-related functions improving healthcare delivery and changing traditional medical attitudes or practices; features providing enhanced benefits to the patient and end-user in relation to clinical efficacy; manufacturing cost-effectiveness and profitability; and healthcare system benefits such as improved accessibility, efficacy or safety, in addition to providing attention to a critical unmet clinical need.

    The 2017 MDEA Juror Panel selected 45 finalists in nine medical technology product categories. Products were judged based on design and engineering innovation; function and user-related innovation; patient benefits; business benefits; and overall benefit to the healthcare system. Gold, Silver and Bronze recognition was awarded in each category.