DRG:Hybrid-XL Honored as Winner in the 2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards

DRG International, Inc. announced that the DRG:Hybrid-XL® has been selected as the Bronze Winner in the In Vitro Diagnostic Products and Systems category of the 2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) competition. The 2014 MDEA winning products were announced in New York on June 11th during the 17th Annual MDEA Ceremony held in conjunction with MD&M East, the largest MedTech event on the East Coast.

The DRG:Hybrid-XL® is a fully automated random access analyzer. As a desktop analyzer, the DRG:Hybrid-XL® is ideally suited to medium-sized and small laboratories. The machine's unique design provides diagnostic services to research laboratories, hospitals, clinics and large medical practice facilities.

DRG worked hand-in-hand with design partner BIT Group on the project, developing software and design elements to allow for the Hybrid's versatile laboratory use. The innovative technology of the DRG:Hybrid-XL® allows the simultaneous measurement of immunoassays and clinical chemistry parameters, including turbidimetric tests in one sample. In smaller labs, the DRG:Hybrid-XL® will combine the ability to analyze both immunodiagnostic parameters, as well as clinical chemistry tests, which would otherwise require two separate processors.

"DRG is proud to be a recipient of this prestigious recognition from the MDEA, especially among such qualified competition," said Cyril E. Geacintov, Ph. D, founder, CEO, and president of DRG International. "The design of the DRG:Hybrid-XL® is truly unique and its applications in the lab are on the cutting edge of automation. This machine allows laboratories to conduct specific testing on-site, providing for faster and more accurate test results with greater convenience. These qualities place the DRG:Hybrid-XL® in high demand among the world's top laboratories."

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 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 the product 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.

The 2014 MDEA Juror Panel selected 33 winning products from among 54 exceptional finalist products in 11 medical technology product categories. Selected products excel in 5 areas: manufacturing and technological innovation; design and engineering advancements; patient benefits; business benefits; and overall improvement to the healthcare industry.