Injection Devices Evolving to Increase Capabilities and Market Share
Greystone Research Associates Examines New-Generation Syringes and Injectors and their Impact on the Injectable Drug
Sector
(Amherst, NH) – The injectable drug sector has seen a marked increase in the level of device sophistication,
patient-centered design, and drug/device integration, as specialty syringes and specialized injection devices
proliferate in response to the safety and economic challenges posed by therapeutic injectables. Much of the activity in
device evolution is being driven by the trend toward patient self-care as the administration of injectables moves
increasingly from practitioner offices and healthcare facilities to patient homes.
As new drugs become available for the treatment of an expanding list of health conditions, drug developers have
increasingly pursued packaging and delivery options that simplify the administration process and increase the efficiency
and reliability with which the drug can be introduced into the patient. For injectable drugs, this pursuit has led to
accelerated progress in injection device design, creating new opportunities and choices for drug marketers.
As injection device design evolves to address the needs of users and drug developers, a number of features have appeared
that improve the drug administration experience. These enhancements include variable dose autoinjectors, dual chamber
variable dose pen injectors, prefillable safety syringes, dose memory devices, tamper evident prefilled syringes, small
form factor disposable autoinjectors, and prefilled needle-free injectors. On the horizon are more dramatic developments
that include technology that will allow actuator-enabled needle-free injectors to be programmed to meet the needs of
specific therapeutic drugs or patient profiles.
In terms of growth, prefilled syringes will continue to experience year-on-year unit growth of between 10 and 12
percent. We expect prefilled syringes to reach 4.75 billion units globally in 2016. Autoinjector growth will be slightly
higher, as a growing list of therapeutic drugs supplied in prefilled syringes are bundled with autoinjectors and an
increasing number of patients are introduced to autoinjectors as price points decline. The growth of pen injectors will
decline slightly, as pressure from lower-cost feature-rich autoinjectors capable of accepting standard 1 mL prefilled
syringes impacts pen demand in certain chronic disease segments. For needle-free injectors, prefilled devices will be
the bright spot, as the success of Sumavel DosePro encourages other drug developers to consider this delivery device
option, in particular for injectables indicated for pediatric patients.
A comprehensive analysis of advanced devices for injectables is included in a new and comprehensive report. The report – Advanced Devices for Injectable Drugs - includes assessments of devices, device features and injectable drug therapeutic markets, analysis of market factors,
and profiles of market participants.
More information is available at
About Greystone
Greystone Research Associates is a medical technology consulting firm focused on the areas of medical market strategy,
product commercialization, venture development, and market research. We assist medical and healthcare market
participants in achieving their business objectives through the creation of detailed development strategies, product
commercialization programs, and comprehensive market and technology research and analysis. Our market research
publications are designed, researched and written to provide timely and insightful information and data on focused
market segments, with the aim of providing market participants with the essential knowledge to refine and execute their
marketing plans and financial targets.
Source: Greystone Research Associates
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