Hendeles also emphasized that being under a general practitioner’s care for asthma in the US doesn’t mean that the patient is getting appropriate care and Gauld pointed out that patients are unlikely to want to buy maintenance inhalers over the counter without good reason, noting that it’s hard enough to get them to use ICS per doctor’s orders.
When Richard Dalby suggested that OTC albuterol packaging could include a boxed message saying that the patient should use an ICS or even have a talking chip that tells the patient to take a steroid when the patient actuates the inhaler, Chowdhury responded, “Why not?” and suggested that industry should consider submitting products for approval.
Flextronics MDI with electronic dose counter
As at RDD Europe 2013, the technology exhibit remained open through the last morning of the meeting, and in the exhibition hall, approximately 60 vendors presented their products and services, including Astech Projects, CD-adapco, Copley Scientific, DFE Pharma, Presspart, and Team Consulting.
While few of the vendors exhibited new devices, though Flextronics showed off an MDI with an electronic dose counter, several tables displayed new inhaler testing equipment including Copley Scientific, which introduced quick-release attachments for the company’s sample preparation unit.
Novi’s new automated metered dose inhaler testing system
Also, Novi Systems exhibited a beta version of its new automated metered dose inhaler testing system, which can handle 10 canisters at a time. The company was offering the beta version at a reduced price to buyers interested in purchasing the system prior to the launch of the final version, which is anticipated later this year.
In addition to promoting its own 10-cannister automated MDI testing system, InnovaSystems, citing a recent court ruling, openly promoted its ADSA aerosol spray analyzer, which has been the subject of a long-standing legal battle with Proveris Scientific.
All in all, the 10th anniversary of the conference was a great success, Dalby says, “the best RDD Europe meeting to date – one that sets a new bar for future meetings.” The next RDD Europe will return to Antibes April 25-28, 2017, and organizers plan to continue to develop the meeting to reflect changes in the industry and in response to attendee suggestions.
“We intend to make the next 10 years of RDD Europe meetings as dynamic and successful as the last decade,” Dalby declares; “One delegate consistently describes RDD meetings as ‘his university’ – this is really gratifying to hear, so we are working hard to make RDD Europe 2017 an ivy league university experience for him and everyone else that convenes in Juan Les Pins in two years!”
The conference proceedings are available for purchase at http://www.rddonline.com/publications/proceedings/index.php
