Grand designs

Craig Thompson and Clive Nicholls, Owen Mumford, discuss design for modern drug formulations

It’s predicted there will be continued growth in biologics and that this will be a key driver for the emergence of large volume injectors, with around 50% of the top 100 selling drugs expected to be biologics by 2016. Biologics are estimated to contribute 27% of the total drugs market by 2020, causing pharmaceutical companies to focus on developing drug delivery devices that allow self-administration of high viscosity, large volume drugs and/or biologics.

The challenges introduced from the increase in new drug formulations, such as higher viscosity formulations requiring a slower, prolonged delivery places greater emphasis on pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies to add value through the delivery method. Pharmaceutical manufacturers need to think beyond the drug itself, and consider the various aspects of delivery and administration that bring value to the end-user, health care professional and/or care giver, helping to differentiate in a crowded market.

Owen Mumford is a major medical device design and manufacture company, developing diagnostic and self-injection devices such as pen injector systems and auto-injectors for multiple therapy areas including Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis.

Craig Thompson, OEM sales manager at Owen Mumford commented: “There are multiple ways in which you can add value to the end user; alterations can be made to the injection devices to change the method of administration, making it more of a comfortable experience when injecting. Involving human factors experts during the design and development stages can help steer the design to make the process of injecting less intimidating for the user and can provide insights to improve adherence.

“For example, the Autoject Micro disposable auto-injector is designed to deliver a variety of volumes and high viscosity drugs whilst also being designed to improve adherence. Features such as keeping the needle hidden from the user at all times, clear sequencing of user steps to prevent incorrect use and sharps injury prevention help overcome the barriers to self-injection.  The device is compact, visually pleasing and easy to use, adding to end-user comfort, which, as always, remains a priority for us.”

In response to the predicted growth in higher drug viscosities, the industry is going to see a similar growth in the development of injection devices that meet this need.

Owen Mumford, a company with both design and manufacture capabilities, understands that such devices will become more advanced, Clive Nicholls, product design and development manager at Owen Mumford added: “The industry is likely to see an increase in both wearable devices and more traditional injection devices specifically designed to deliver higher viscosity drugs. Device developers need to get the right balance between the conveniences of a quick, simple injection with the more comfortable absorption benefits of a slower, prolonged delivery method to ensure the best device for the end user. Whilst traditional injection devices offer the former; being quick and simple, they can struggle to deal with the discomfort of injecting a large, viscose volume into a patient in a short period of time. Wearable devices deal with the issue of discomfort of injection, but the user has to remain in contact with the device for a far longer period often compromising convenience.”

In summary, it’s fair to say the developments in modern drug formulations are seeing key changes in the design of injection devices, taking into account both the delivery method of the drug and the end-users comfort. Along with this, there is going to be a rise in the manufacture and use of wearable devices, but with further requirement for development, considering the end-users convenience and comfort.