Biogen takes flight in Delta collab to improve air travel for SMA patients, others with reduced mobility
04 Jun 2024
Drug Approval
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Source: FiercePharma
At the Cure SMA conference and other community events, Biogen and Delta Flight Products will show off the prototype airline seat that DFP already has in the works, which can be converted to allow passengers to stay in their own wheelchairs during air travel.
Biogen is hoping to make the skies a bit more friendly to all airline passengers.
In a new initiative to improve air travel for people with neuromuscular diseases causing limited mobility, the drugmaker has selected as its copilot Delta Flight Products, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines that’s devoted to developing innovative new products for a variety of airlines’ aircraft cabins.
Their collaboration will focus on making airplanes more accessible and comfortable for passengers using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. They’ll lay the groundwork for doing so by talking to those passengers about their travel experiences at various community events, according to this week’s partnership announcement.
First up on the calendar is a stop at the annual conference hosted by spinal muscular atrophy nonprofit Cure SMA, which is slated to kick off later this week in Austin, Texas. Though the collaborative effort isn’t a branded campaign, it undoubtedly ties into Biogen’s existing work in SMA, one of its core disease areas, where it boasts the first FDA-approved drug for the disease, Spinraza, and is currently researching additional therapeutic options.
“Biogen has long championed independence for people living with rare, neuromuscular diseases, which is why we are passionate about helping advance travel accessibility for individuals with reduced mobility,” Kristen Fortino, head of the U.S. rare disease franchise for Biogen North America, said in a statement.
“We are honored to introduce Delta Flight Products to the communities we serve and work together to better inform innovations that are equitable to travelers of various abilities.”
At the Cure SMA conference and other community events, Biogen and Delta Flight Products will show off the prototype airline seat that DFP already has in the works. Event attendees will be able to learn about the seat, while also sharing their experiences, needs and concerns with Biogen and DFP. Afterward, the companies plan to share those findings with the larger community of individuals with limited mobility and their caregivers and advocates.
DFP’s seat can be converted to allow passengers to stay in their own wheelchairs during air travel. Once their chair is secured in place, passengers can adjust the DFP seat’s built-in headrest and cocktail table, as well as a tray table located in the center console between seats, for use throughout the flight. Meanwhile, the prototype also features improved storage to better protect other mobility aids that passengers may stow away during a flight.
The seat—which recently won an award from the Airline Passenger Experience Association—is slated for review by the Federal Aviation Administration later this year, according to DFP, during which it will go through necessary testing and certification processes.
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