Image: The Flexi-ject auto injector (Photo courtesy of Cambridge Consultants).

An accessible, reusable, and lifestyle-friendly autoinjector enables patients to deliver medication by simply positioning it over the skin and squeezing it.

The Flexi-ject autoinjector is based on a unique mechanical trigger mechanism, and it also includes a novel flexible primary pack, called Fleximed. A simple, four-step process is used to activate the device: open, load the Fleximed tube, close, and deploy. The action of opening and closing the device resets the mechanical parts within the device so that it can be activated when pressed against the skin. The ergonomic egg-shaped design makes it easy to hold and maintain stable for patients, which is especially important for patients with limited muscle control or joint pain. With the overall size of the device being just over 11 cm long, it can easily fit into a handbag or coat pocket, becoming part of the patient’s everyday life.

The design also incorporates the ability to change the needle depth depending on which part of the body the device is being used, and an end-of-dose indicator that reassures users that they have received the full drug dose. The device can be reused with an individually prepacked drug dose, so that waste can be minimized and the cost per dose reduced. The development team estimates that the device could be manufactured in volume at a cost less than USD 5 per unit, making it highly competitive with existing products on the market. The Flexi-ject was developed by Cambridge Consultants (Cambridge, United Kingdom) and Neopac (Oberdiessbach, Switzerland).

“With our reputation for creating world class drug delivery devices, I am delighted to see us coming up with yet another innovation in the way that we see drugs being dispensed,” said Matthew Allen, director of drug delivery at Cambridge Consultants. “In a competitive market place, devices that are designed with the user in mind, and recognize their need for products that fit with their lifestyle, are much more likely to succeed. I hope this novel design will stimulate thought and debate amongst the industry about how we can take advantage of innovations in both design and packaging to enhance people’s lives.”

Guangzhou Jia Yu medical equipment Limited