Greetings, DDL started off the year with a trip to Gulfport, Mississippi, to help with the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Even though the disaster is now out of the limelight, there is still much to be done in the Gulfport area and DDL is proud to be a part of the recovery efforts. Thank you to Corey Hensel, Ozzie Echols and Patrick Ayinde for joining Patrick Nolan on the trip to Mississippi. View photos from the trip. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Hospitality Suite at MD&M West in Anaheim. We had over 80 attendees and some great live music from Joe Rathburn. Congratulations to Steve Bunnell, winner of an Atomic Clock, and Dianne Connelly, who won a $200 Apple Gift Certification in our raffle. View photos from the evening. If you were able to attend MD&M West this year and stopped by DDL's booth, you will be familiar with the "12 Steps to Market." Read DDL's 12-step guide to delivering your product to market on-time and intact. An important factor in getting your product to market is effective risk management. In March, DDL held the first live webcast in its Packaging & Risk Management series. You can now listen to this webcast on-demand at your convenience. The second Packaging & Risk Management webcast will air on May 23 and May 25. Please register to participate in these live webcasts as seating is limited. Please pass this newsletter onto a colleague who may benefit from quarterly medical device packaging industry updates. Sincerely, Michael B. Foster    &     Karen K. Greene Package Engineer            Technical Director

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Industry News

The Next Big Thing for Combination Products Karen Greene recently attended the BIOCOM Drug/Device Summit.  One session she attended addressed the key players and issues at the intersection of nanotech, microelectronics and regenerative medicine. Read Karen's summary of the session's highlights.

PackAdvice

12 Steps to Market DDL understands that time-to-market is a huge concern for manufacturers and packaging professionals. That's why DDL has created the "12 Steps to Market", a 12-step guide to help you deliver your product to market on-time and intact. 1. Packaging Design Requirements 2. Packaging System Hazard Analysis 3. Labeling Requirements 4. Evaluation of Similar or Competing Devices 5. Understanding the Clinical Application of a Medical Device 6. Distribution, Storage & Handling of the Product 7. Prototyping the Packaging System 8. Stability Testing, Accelerated & Real Time Aging of Sterile Barrier System 9. Sterilization Effects on Biocompatibility & Sterilization Validation, Device & Package 10. Integrity of the Sterile Barrier System & Packaging System Performance Testing 11. Packaging Equipment Qualification, IQ and OQ 12. Packaging Process Development & Performance Qualification (PQ) Read more.