UCB and its Design Partners OXO Win Coveted Design Award for Cimzia® Syringe and Packaging
Brussels, Belgium, 1 March 2011 - The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies have recently announced that UCB/OXO have won its coveted GOOD DESIGNTM Award for the prefilled syringe and packaging for Cimzia® (certolizumab pegol), a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The UCB/OXO prefilled syringe joins a roll call of some of the world’s best-known brands from 36 different nations, including Microsoft, Panasonic and Apple, to have won the prestigious award for their innovations in design.
UCB and OXO set out to help make life easier for patients, not only through the treatment, but also its delivery mechanism. Patients with RA often have limited dexterity which means that self-administration of much-needed treatments can be difficult. UCB and OXO spent time discussing design features with RA patients to establish their needs as part of the design process. Taking as many users’ needs into account as possible is at the very heart of Universal Design, a philosophy that drives OXO’s product development process. The design incorporates several key benefits for the patient, including a non-slip finger grip, a finger loop on the needle shield and a larger than usual plunger, all of which aim to make it more comfortable for RA patients to hold the syringe. The design also includes a clear oval syringe barrel that magnifies the plunger to provide better visibility.
Packaging was also designed with the patient in mind, with for example, a curved front panel that helps patients slide under the flap making it easier to open the product. The tray provided with the kit is designed for patients with a wide-range of limited dexterities so they can more easily remove the syringe from the package.
| ‘‘We are honored to receive this award and to be named alongside some of the world’s leading designers” explained Prof. Dr. Iris Loew-Friedrich, Chief Medical Officer of UCB. “Most importantly, we are proud to be leading the way in developing patient-centric design solutions which makes a positive contribution to the lives of patients around the world living with rheumatoid arthritis.’’ |
The GOOD DESIGNTM awards were judged by a jury of design professionals, architects, experts and cultural leaders. All winning designs for GOOD DESIGNTM can be viewed at the Museum’s website www.chi-athenaeum.org.
The GOOD DESIGNTM Award is not the first time that UCB has been recognised by the design industry for its Cimzia® syringe and packaging. Other design wins include; 2009 Red Dot: Communications Design Award, 2009 Sliver Spark Award, 2010 iF Product Design Award, 2010 Universal Design Award, 2010 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA), 2010 Red Dot: Product Design Award.
For further Information:
Scott Fleming, Global Communications Manager – Immunology
T +44 770.277.7378, scott.fleming@ucb.com
About CIMZIA®
Cimzia® is the only PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor). Cimzia® has a high affinity for human TNF-alpha, selectively neutralizing the pathophysiological effects of TNF-alpha. Over the past decade, TNF-alpha has emerged as a major target of basic research and clinical investigation. This cytokine plays a key role in mediating pathological inflammation, and excess TNF-alpha production has been directly implicated in a wide variety of diseases. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cimzia® for reducing signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease and maintaining clinical response in adult patients with moderately to severely active disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy and for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis. Cimzia® in combination with MTX, is approved in the EU for the treatment of moderate to severe active RA in adult patients inadequately responsive to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including MTX. Cimzia® can be given as monotherapy in case of intolerance to MTX or when continued treatment with MTX is inappropriate. UCB is also developing Cimzia® in other autoimmune disease indications. Cimzia® is a registered trademark of UCB PHARMA S.A.
Cimzia® (certolizumab pegol) in European Union/ EEA important safety information.
Cimzia® was studied in 2367 patients with RA in controlled and open label trials for up to 57 months. The commonly reported adverse reactions (1-10%) in clinical trials with Cimzia® were viral infections (includes herpes, papillomavirus, influenza), bacterial infections (including abscess), rash, headache (including migraine), asthenia, leukopaenia (including lymphopaenia, neutropaenia), eosinophilic disorder, pain (any sites), pyrexia, sensory abnormalities, hypertension, pruritis (any sites), hepatitis (including hepatic enzyme increase), injection site reactions. Serious adverse reactions include sepsis, opportunistic infections, tuberculosis, herpes zoster, lymphoma, leukaemia, solid organ tumours, angioneurotic edema, cardiomyopathies (includes heart failure), ischemic coronary artery disorders, pancytopaenia, hypercoagulation (including thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism), cerebrovascular accident, vasculitis, hepatitis/hepatopathy (includes cirrhosis), and renal impairment/nephropathy (includes nephritis). In RA controlled clinical trials, 5% of patients discontinued taking Cimzia® due to adverse events vs. 2.5% for placebo.
Cimzia® is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the excipients, active tuberculosis or other severe infections such as sepsis or opportunistic infections, moderate to severe heart failure.
Before initiation of Cimzia®, evaluate patients for both active or inactive (latent) tuberculosis infection. Monitor patients for the development of signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with Cimzia®. If an infection develops, monitor carefully, and stop Cimzia® if infection becomes serious.
TNF blockers including Cimzia® may increase the risk: of reactivation of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in patients who are chronic carriers of the virus; of new onset or exacerbation of clinical symptoms and/or radiographic evidence of demyelinating disease; of formation of autoantibodies and uncommonly of the development of a lupus-like syndrome; of severe hypersensitivity reactions. If a patient develops any of these adverse reactions, Cimzia® should be discontinued and appropriate therapy instituted.
With the current knowledge, a possible risk for the development of lymphomas, leukaemia or other malignancies in patients treated with a TNF antagonist cannot be excluded. Rare cases of neurological disorders, including seizure disorder, neuritis and peripheral neuropathy, have been reported in patients treated with Cimzia®.
Adverse reactions of the hematologic system, including medically significant cytopenia, have been infrequently reported with Cimzia®. Advise all patients to seek immediate medical attention if they develop signs and symptoms suggestive of blood dyscrasias or infection (e.g., persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, pallor) while on Cimzia®. Consider discontinuation of Cimzia® therapy in patients with confirmed significant haematological abnormalities.
The use of Cimzia® in combination with anakinra or abatacept is not recommended due to a potential increased risk of serious infections. As no data are available, Cimzia® should not be administered concurrently with live vaccines or attenuated vaccines. The 14-day half-life of Cimzia® should be taken into consideration if a surgical procedure is planned. A patient who requires surgery while on Cimzia® should be closely monitored for infections.
Please consult the full prescribing information in relation to other side effects, full safety and prescribing information. European SmPC date of revision February 2011.
http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/001037/WC500069763.pdf
About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative medicines with a focus on the fields of central nervous system and immunology disorders. Employing more than 9000 people in over 40 countries, UCB produced revenue of EUR 3.1 billion in 2009. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB).
About OXO
Founded in 1990 on the concept of Universal Design, OXO's mission is to create consumer household products that ease the tasks of everyday life for the widest range of users possible. Since the original 15 items were introduced, the OXO collection has grown to more than 800 strong covering areas for cooking, cleaning, gardening, storing, organizing and lighting. Today OXO Good Grips products are sold in 54 countries and are included in the permanent collections of numerous museums. The company has won more than 100 design and business awards worldwide. OXO is very frequently used as a case study on how a well-executed Universal Design philosophy can be a successful business strategy. OXO is owned by Helen of Troy Limited, a leading designer, producer and global marketer of brand-name personal care and household consumer products.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and beliefs of management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those that may be implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Important factors that could result in such differences include: changes in general economic, business and competitive conditions, effects of future judicial decisions, changes in regulation, exchange rate fluctuations and hiring and retention of its employees.
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