PDA Letter Article

PDA Announces 2022 Drug Delivery Innovation Awards Winners

by PDA, Inc.

PDA announced the winners of the 2022 PDA Drug Delivery Innovation Awards during the opening plenary session of the 2022 PDA Universe of Pre-Filled Syringes and Injection Devices in Palm Springs, CA. Awardees were recognized for their technical innovations in advancing the field of bio/pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The Innovation Award is presented to Ascendis A/S and Phillips-Medisize A/S for the SKYTROFA® Auto-Injector. The device is designed to support delivery of the SKYTROFA drug product, which is a lyophilized human growth hormone powder provided in a prefilled dual chamber cartridge. The cartridge is simply clicked into the device and an electromechanical motor controls reconstitution, air-shot, and injection of the mixed drug. The electronics and the user interface assist the user, by ensuring that the needle points upwards during reconstitution and air-shot, by keeping timing of passive mixing and by guiding a manual mixing procedure. Finally, the device injects automatically when it is pressed against the injection site and delivers a clear confirmation of dose delivered.

Paolo Golfetto and Sheldon Moberg recognized for their pain management therapy through on-body injector systemThe Partnership Innovation Award is presented to the Stevanato Group and Bexson Biomedical for the innovation Pain Management Therapy through On-Body Injector System. Optimizing the target product profile opportunity with minimal time to market combination product therapies requires an innovative approach to development and commercialization. Bexson Biomedical and the Stevanato Group collaborated to optimize subcutaneous delivery of a novel pain management therapy based on a controlled substance. This therapy provides an alternative to highly addictive and easily misused opioids. Through this real-time collaboration, the companies are co-developing a novel combination product with a device constituent that is specifically designed to inhibit abuse and misuse of the pre-filled and preloaded integrated drug while providing ease of use to the patient.

"I want to congratulate the companies that received the 2022 PDA Drug Delivery Innovation Awards," said Richard Johnson, PDA President & CEO. "We are pleased to recognize the winners and all the companies considered at the first in-person Universe of Pre-Filled Syringes and Injection Devices Conference since 2019."

For more information on the 2022 PDA Universe of Pre-Filled Syringes and Injection Devices Conference, click here.