Phillips-Medisize announced it has won the Gold Award in the Diagnostic Products and Systems category at the 18th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) ceremony in New York City. The company was cited for its role as an outsourced design and manufacturing partner of Exact Sciences, Inc. of Madison, Wis.

The product, Cologuard, is the first and only FDA approved noninvasive stool DNA (sDNA) screening test for colorectal cancer (CRC) designed to help increase rates of screening compliance. Cologuard is prescribed by a physician and sent to the patient’s home. The patient collects a stool sample at home at their convenience—no medication, dietary restrictions, bowel preparation, sedation, time off of work or transportation required—and sends the Cologuard kit back to the Exact Sciences lab for testing with a pre-paid mailer. The patient receives the results from their doctor in as little as two weeks. If the test comes back positive, the patient is referred for a diagnostic colonoscopy.

Phillips-Medisize worked with Exact Sciences on design for manufacture (DFM), along with an evaluation of the user interface and closure of the collection kit. Phillips-Medisize also manufactures and assembles the patient-ready kits.

“We are excited and humbled to win this prestigious award for our work on a breakthrough product that has the capability of reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer. It is unbelievable that colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable, yet least prevented cancers in the U.S., in part due to low screening compliance. Cologuard will help reduce the rate of this deadly disease,” said Matt Jennings, Chairman and CEO of Phillips-Medisize Corporation.

“We would like to congratulate Phillips-Medisize on this recognition for their contribution to the design of the Cologuard collection kit,” said Kevin Conroy, Chairman and CEO, Exact Sciences. “Their expertise in designing and producing high quality medical products was critical to bringing this product to patients, and we are very pleased with the results of our collaboration.”

The MDEA is the medtech industry’s premier design competition committed to searching worldwide for the highest caliber finished medical devices, products, systems, or packaging available on the market. The awards program celebrates the achievements 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.

Entries in the MDEA competition are judged by an impartial panel of medtech experts. Unlike other design competitions that are merely styling contests, the MDEA jury is comprised of 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 theproduct 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.

Phillips-Medisize
www.phillipsmedisize.com