inJentle

Thursday 21st January, 2010

Introducing the SCHOTT InJentle™ syringe - improved stability for sensitive drugs

Innovative syringe developed by SCHOTT forma vitrum ag and Cambridge Consultants offers improved stability for highly sensitive drugs and gentler application for patients

Cambridge Consultants have supported SCHOTT forma vitrum ag in developing a new syringe system - InJentle™ - designed to address the requirements of highly sensitive drugs as well as improving the application, making injections less painful for patients.

InJentle's  unique design, employing a ‘pinch seal’ closure, ensures that the drug is not in contact with the metal needle or the adhesive of the syringe during storage, preventing sensitive drugs from interacting with these potential contaminants.  This also has the advantage of creating similar stability test requirements as vials. The needle shield has also been designed with robust tamper-evident closure.  This enables physicians or patients to determine easily if the syringe is still unused.  InJentle™ also includes the flexibility to include further anti-counterfeiting features in the future, such as RFID tags.

SCHOTT InJentle™ incorporates a needle shield that protects the needle and minimizes the risk from the occurrence of ‘hooks’.  Sharper ‘virgin’ needles make the injection less painful for patients.  In addition, InJentle™ can be combined with particularly thin needles - potentially up to 32 gauge - which are also siliconised, contributing to improved patient application.

Commenting on the development, Phil Lever, Cambridge Consultants’ recently appointed head of drug delivery, said: "SCHOTT had developed a technically precise concept which required an equally precise implementation.  Cambridge Consultants has a very successful track record of designing and developing novel injection devices, so we were able to use our expertise to bring together all of SCHOTT's requirements into a sophisticated new device."

InJentle™ has been designed with a range of additional benefits.  For example, the special geometry of the glass barrel does not require the use of any tungsten during the glass forming process, making the syringe completely tungsten-free.  Although the syringe has been designed with these special features, it is delivered with standard nests and tubs so that it can be filled on standard filling lines.  

"InJentle™ is both ‘drug friendly’ and 'patient friendly'," commented Carmen Heiter, Product Manager, Syringes, at SCHOTT.  "On the one hand, it enables even very sensitive drugs to be stored safely, on the other hand it offers easy handling and the ability to use particularly thin needles for a gentle application.  We are delighted with the result of this partnership with Cambridge Consultants, whose experience of developing novel injection technology has been invaluable in getting this product to the manufacture stage so effectively."

Notes to editors

Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of more than 380 staff, including engineers, scientists, mathematicians and designers, in offices in Cambridge (UK), Boston (USA) and Singapore, Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, transport, energy, cleantech and wireless communications.

Cambridge Consultants is part of Altran, a global leader in innovation and high-tech engineering consulting which supports companies in the creation and development of their new products and services. With a staff of 20,000 employees in more than 20 countries, the Group generated revenues of €1,456m in 2012. For more information visit: www.altran.com

SCHOTT is a technology-driven, international group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions through special materials and high-tech solutions. Its main areas of focus are defense, household appliance industry, optics and opto-electronics, information technology, consumer electronics, lighting, automotive engineering, solar energy and pharmaceutical packaging.

SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging is one of the world’s leading suppliers of parenteral packaging for the pharmaceutical industry. More than 600 production lines with production sites in 12 countries worldwide produce more than 7 billion syringes, vials, ampoules, cartridges and special articles of tubing glass or polymer annually. For more information, visit: http://www.schott.com/pharmaceutical_systems

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