Trends in Hand-Held Injection Systems

Most hand-held injectors today are designed for standard drug containers, such as prefilled syringes or cartridges. The primary markets include treatments for chronic conditions such as diabetes and hormone deficiencies where repeat injections are necessary and are administered by the patient or a caregiver.

Typically, a device helps to simplify the patient injection experience, although many self-injections are still given with a basic prefilled syringe, potentially incorporating a needle-safety system or ergonomic accessories to improve an impaired patient’s ability to deliver an injection, particularly when it may be very viscous. Various sources suggest the market for prefilled syringes is getting close to three billion units per year, with a steady growth rate, although hand-held devices are used in only a portion of cases.

Growth continues in devices for insulin delivery, driven by continuing diagnosis and increased use of devices such as pens.

A key trend is an increased need for delivery systems capable of containing and delivering injectable doses of greater than 1mL, either in a single-dose rapid shot, or slowly over a longer period of time. This trend is driven by the challenges of next-generation biologics, including increased concentrations and higher viscosities. There is also a trend toward reduced dosing frequency, which may help improve patient comfort and compliance.

West offers a variety of self-injection technologies, including the SelfDose^TM, SmartDose^® and ConfiDose^® injector platform technologies.  For more information click here.

SelfDose^TM, SmartDose® and ConfiDose® are trademarks or registered trademarks of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., or its affiliated companies, in the United States and other jurisdictions.

West seeks partners for its injector technology platforms. These platforms are intended to be used as an integrated system with drug filling and final assembly completed by the pharmaceutical/biotechnology company.