By Business & Finance 
Aerogen, an Irish-headquartered medical device company and drug delivery product innovator was named Exporter of the Year at the annual Export Industry Awards in Dublin last night.
Aerogen was recognised for exporting 99% of its multi-award winning products in 2014 and achieving 30% growth in exports year on year since 2008. The company’s products are now used in hospitals in over 70 countries worldwide, providing optimum care to the most critical patients from pre-term babies to adults.
Aerogen was chosen from 11 overall winners of individual categories at the awards ceremony, which took place in The Convention Centre Dublin after winning the award for Life Sciences Exporter of the Year. The Export Industry Awards recognise emerging exporters as well as established indigenous exporters of manufactured goods and services across all sectors.
Since 2011, Aerogen has more than doubled its commercial export team including senior hires as a general manager of the Americas, a commercial director in Ireland, a sales director for China and sales managers in France, the UK and Germany. In 2013 and 2014, the company further expanded its global presence opening offices in Beijing, China and Chicago, US.
Aerogen’s growth in its exports division can largely be attributed to the introduction in 2010 of the Aerogen Solo II core technology, which has transformed the standard of care in Intensive Care Units worldwide. This advanced aerosol generation system allows liquid drugs to be absorbed through the lungs by creating a fine particle mist which gently flows through patients’ airways coating all sections of the lungs.
The human lungs have traditionally posed a challenge for nebulisation (aerosol treatment) as they have a huge surface area, approximately the size of a tennis court, where drugs must reach to effectively deliver medication. Aerogen technology creates a uniquely consistent and small droplet size of just 3.4 microns – one tenth the size of a human hair in diameter, which enables deep lung deposition of drugs and optimises medication delivery.
Accepting the award, Aerogen CEO John Power said: “We’re very honoured to receive these prestigious awards. Our export market has been the core of Aerogen’s growth since the company’s management buy-out in 2008. Over this time we have significantly grown our exports division and we are proud to see our products being used in hospitals worldwide. As the growth of Aerogen continues, we will leverage our technology platform and grow beyond the ICU into other sections of the hospital, including wards, the emergency room and homecare.”
