The Smart Nebuliser FOX Wins Red Dot Design Award

Vectura Group plc announces that the smart nebuliser device FOX has won the 2014 Red Dot Award for product design.

The award winning FOX inhaler is a smart and efficient handheld nebuliser for treatment of respiratory diseases. Its breathing control enables highly accurate drug delivery to the small airways.

The FOX inhalation system is a hand-held, self-contained, battery-powered, mesh nebuliser device with high performance using Activaero's* own vibrating mesh aerosol generator. The mesh-based aerosolisation engine used in FOX is proprietary to Activaero*, the rights having been in-licensed to Activaero* on an exclusive basis from a third party. The FOX inhalation system also makes use of a flow sensing/controlling valve system and is both re-chargeable and Bluetooth-enabled. The latter feature allows for remote firmware updates without cable connection or for the system to upload patient use data for review by a healthcare professional.

The clear and user centric design of FOX make inhalation treatments potentially shorter in duration and more convenient.

Bernhard Müllinger, Chief Technical Officer at Vectura GmbH states "During the design process of FOX we undertook extensive market research to understand a device that patients use intuitively in the right way. Since most dose delivery errors associated with respiratory therapies are caused by inappropriate breathing patterns, we developed a LED lighting to prompt users to breathe correctly during dose administration. The device also features key-lock indicators for intuitive assembly of the components." FOX is fully battery powered and can be recharged with standard phone chargers with micro-USB connectors. Patients who use the FOX device can use the device at home, during work or while traveling.

Red Dot CEO and founder Dr Peter Zec, notes: "Our experts assessed the quality of the entries with the utmost care and attention…But only the best products receive an award from the jury. This is especially reflected in the percentage of successful entries in the Red Dot Award, which is much smaller in contrast to other international design competitions. Therefore, the winners can be proud of their achievements - with their entries, they stood out from the rest and were able to pass the test in front of the critical eyes of the experts."

Design winners are celebrated during a presentation at the acclaimed Red Dot Gala on 7 July 2014. The award-winning products will be displayed in a special exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany from 8 July to 3 August 2014.

* Vectura GmbH (formerly Activaero GmbH) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vectura Group plc