The Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) is currently sponsoring an “Ultimate Inhaler Contest,” challenging lay people to “invent the ultimate inhaled medication device.” The organization is a 25-year-old US-based non-profit that provides education to and advocates for asthma patients.
The contest is open to all ages, with submissions grouped into ages 5-11, 12-18, and 19+, and the submission deadline is August 1, 2011.
The AANMA's inhaler contest entry form
According to Laurie Ross of AANMA, the contest was inspired by a breakout session at the 2011 IPAC-RS conference attended by the organization’s president and founder, Nancy Sander. The workshop, titled, “Ensuring Patient Success: Improving Adherence Through Concordance,” included a talk by Sander.
“While speaking at the 2011 IPAC conference, addressing a room filled with engineers, regulators and scientists – people who want to engineer better devices for patients,” Ross says, “Nancy felt the time was right to bring patients and innovators together.” When Sander returned from the conference, she created the inhaler contest, which was announced at the beginning of May.
Ross explains, “People with asthma have long had a love-hate relationship with their inhalers. AANMA appreciates the complex and sophisticated technology that goes into these devices, but we often wonder: How could they be improved if we started thinking outside the box?” The contest notice asks entrants to ask themselves about the ultimate inhaler, including: “What would it look like?” “How would it work?” “What problems would it solve?” “Who would want it?” and “How much do you think people would pay for it?”
AANMA has used social media like Facebook and web forums to publicize the contest in addition to emails and articles reaching the 100,000 readers of its magazine, Allergy & Asthma Today, school nurses, the EPA Asthma Forum, asthma and science camps, and inventors’ clubs, she explains.
Design categories for the contest are:
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For Kids Only – designed for kids on the go
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Baby, Baby – for infants and toddlers
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One for All – THE ANSWER for every person, any age
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Conquering COPD – works for people with low inspiratory flow rates
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Get a Grip – easy to use for people with arthritis or who have trouble operating an inhaler
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Wild Card – addresses any currently unmet need
Names of the judges have not yet been announced, but the AANMA says that the panel will include engineers, federal officials, and lawmakers. The winners from each age group will be invited to Washington, DC to present their designs to the media, pharmaceutical executives, and medical professionals, and all of the winners and runners-up will appear in Allergy & Asthma Today.
