SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - Nov 30, 2011) - [ Stratos Product Development LLC ] today announced its President, Sean MacLeod, and [ AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ] (NASDAQ: [ ACRX ]) Chief Executive Officer, Richard King, will present at the [ BIOMEDevice conference in San Jose ] on Stratos' continued collaboration with AcelRx to support software and electrical design of AcelRx's lead product candidate, ARX-01.

ARX-01 is an advanced drug delivery system for patient controlled analgesia (PCA) and is expected to enter Phase 3 clinical trials in late 2011 or early 2012. Stratos' services on the ARX-01 project included embedded software design, electrical engineering, human factors support, project management and quality engineering with Stratos ISO 13485 compliant design controls. The presentation -- [ Innovation on Demand: When Customer Insight Meets Technical Creativity ] -- will take place on December 6, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

AcelRx's ARX-01 sublingual PCA system was developed to address challenges in managing post-operative pain and is a non-invasive, sublingual alternative to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA). Acute pain management in the hospital, in particular post-operative analgesia, remains a challenge for healthcare providers. There are many deficiencies associated with the current use of IV PCA that can negatively impact patient safety, well-being and recovery.

"Stratos has been a true extension of the AcelRx internal engineering team in the development of ARX-01. Their expertise in software and electrical design has complemented AcelRx' mechanical engineering capabilities to produce a dispensing system that meets the needs of patients, healthcare providers and payers alike," Richard King, President and CEO of AcelRx, said.

"Working with AcelRx presented an ideal opportunity for Stratos to be a successful innovation partner," Sean MacLeod, President, Stratos Product Development, said. "Stratos' consultative approach, multi-discipline understanding of product development and the complementary cultures of the two companies allowed us to provide optimal ideas and solutions. We look forward to seeing the final product in the marketplace."

[ Read the case study ].

About Stratos Product Development
At [ Stratos ], we know a cohesive, experienced team of developers can't be built overnight. For 25 years, we've been building a superior ecosystem for innovative product development. Expert industrial designers, researchers, software developers, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing and quality engineers and professional project managers are here to support your next product development challenge. Our collaborative, cross-discipline approach enables us to reduce time-to-market, maximize product opportunities and create compelling product solutions for users and unmet needs in the marketplace. We partner with clients worldwide, from start-up companies to Fortune 500 corporations.

About AcelRx Pharmaceuticals
Based in Redwood City, CA, [ AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc ]. (NASDAQ: [ ACRX ]) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain. AcelRx's lead product candidate, the ARX-01 Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System, which is in preparation for Phase 3 clinical development, is designed to solve the problems associated with post-operative intravenous patient-controlled analgesia which has been shown to cause harm to patients following surgery because of the side effects of morphine, the invasive IV route of delivery and the inherent potential for programming and delivery errors associated with the complexity of infusion pumps. AcelRx has two additional product candidates which have completed Phase 2 clinical development: ARX-02 for the treatment of cancer breakthrough pain, and ARX-03 for providing mild sedation, anxiety reduction and pain relief for patients undergoing painful procedures in a physician's office. A fourth product candidate, ARX-04, is a sufentanil product for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain that is expected to enter Phase 2 clinical development in the fourth quarter of 2011 under a grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, or USAMRMC.