13/08-09   -   Press releases

UCB, OXO and Smart Design win renowned 2009 red dot award

UCB announced today that the newly designed Cimzia® packaging was honoured with a ´red dot communication design´ award, given by a respected international jury for the largest and most renowned global design competition, the ´red dot awards.

The red dot awards recognise the best in product design, communication design, and design concepts. This year their Communication Design competition received over 6000 entries from 42 countries. Winners of this coveted award are evaluated according to criteria such as degree of innovation, functionality and the formal quality.

"For Cimzia® in rheumatoid arthritis, UCB developed premium packaging components that shift the paradigm of pharmaceutical packaging by designing for the consumer first. I am proud of this patient-centric approach and the fact that people living with rheumatoid arthritis worked directly with the design teams to develop the Cimzia® packaging," said Roch Doliveux, Chief Executive Officer of UCB.

UCB partnered with OXO Good Grips®, a company dedicated to Universal (or "inclusive") Design, to develop their new Cimzia® syringe and packaging components. As OXO®´s long-time design partner, Smart Design led the team in developing all the elements of the new Cimzia® packaging components (the syringe itself, the packaging and the accompanying guides).

Davin Stowell, CEO and founder of Smart Design, explains the approach. "The design team immersed themselves in the world of people who live with RA in order to really understand their experience with limited dexterity. We developed a syringe and packaging components designed specifically for RA patients. We aimed to make patients feel more in control during the process of self-injection, more empowered, instead of reminding them of their illness."

Cimzia®´s friendly packaging not only aims to promote compliance but also aims to provide a positive, caring user experience. A curved front panel allows fingers to slide under and lift it open. Following three easy steps, the design leads users through a thoughtful and straightforward process. The tray accommodates a wide range of patients´ dexterity limitations when removing the syringe. The information hierarchy is clear and concise with a personal, conversational tone that is human and respectful.
As part of the packaging components, a ´step-by-step´ guide extracts key information from the full Patient Information Leaflet. The guide follows the same design as the box, and includes simple photography that aims to communicate the features of the syringe at a quick glance, highlighting the ergonomic design and OXO® brand collaboration.

UCB, OXO® and Smart Design will receive the award at a gala awards dinner in Essen, Germany on December 9, 2009.

About Cimzia®
Cimzia® is the only PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor). Cimzia® has a high affinity for human TNF-alpha, selectively neutralising 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® was approved in Switzerland for induction of a clinical response and for the maintenance of a clinical response and a remission in patients with active Crohn´s disease who have not responded adequately to conventional treatment in September 2007. UCB is also developing Cimzia® in other autoimmune disease indications. Cimzia® is a registered trademark of UCB PHARMA S.A.
OXO® and GOOD GRIPS® are trademarks of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ HELE) and are used under license.

About Smart Design
Smart Design has been turning insight and innovation into successful consumer experiences for 30 years. As OXO´s partner in designing the original line of OXO Good Grips products, Smart Design was instrumental in bringing the principles of Universal Design to the mass market. Their strategic approach brings together experts in product, brand, and interaction design, business factors, engineering, and design research to ensure that its solutions connect with people. Smart Design´s consistent results are delivered by a 130-member international staff – working in teams across offices in New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona. www.smartdesignworldwide.com

About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialisation of innovative medicines with a focus on the fields of central nervous system and immunology disorders. Employing approximately 10,000 people in over 40 countries, UCB generated revenue of EUR 3.6 billion in 2008. 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, organising 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.

About red dot design award
With more than 11,000 submissions from 61 countries, the international "red dot design award" is the largest and most renowned design competition in the world. It is divided into the "red dot award: product design", the "red dot award: communication design" and the "red dot award: design concept." The award-winning products are put before an international public in the red dot design museum. Each year an international jury reviews and evaluates the submitted products according to criteria such as degree of innovation, functionality and the formal quality. The group of jurors is made up of renowned designers and design experts from all over the world.

Further information
Thomas Isaacson, Marketing Manager SMART DESIGN
Email: Thomas.Isaacson@SmartDesignWorldwide.com
Tel: +1 212 784 4052

Caroline Addy
The PressOffice – PR for Smart Design
Email: caddy@pressoffice.targetwire.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1780 721 433

Nancy Nackaerts, External Communications, UCB
Email: nancy.nackaerts@ucb.com
T +32.2.559.9264

Gretchen Holt, Corporate Communications Manager OXO
Email: gholt@oxo.com
Tel: +1 212 242 3333