MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Credence MedSystems, Inc. announced today the launch of the Credence Companion Safety Syringe System at two upcoming conferences focused on drug delivery solutions. The Companion results from the Credence team’s intense desire to improve patient care by understanding and addressing the needs of both the end-user performing the injection as well as the pharmaceutical manufacturer supplying the medication.
Initial meetings with a select group of pharmaceutical manufacturers indicate that the value the Companion brings lies not only in the end-user benefits of the final device, but also in the simplified path to market. “Drug manufacturers face significant obstacles in the effort to make improvements to existing products or launch new drugs in advanced delivery systems,” explains Jeff Shanley, CEO of Credence MedSystems. “While the resulting resistance to change is understandable and often warranted, it has had the undesirable effect of keeping technological advances in delivery systems out of the market.”
The Companion is built around the foundation of an existing pre-filled syringe and standard drug container components; the pharmaceutical manufacturer can choose any existing pre-filled syringe from any vendor and can keep their syringe filling process unchanged. Therefore, much of the development and regulatory work as well as the sourcing risk traditionally associated with delivery system advances can be avoided.
Shanley continues, “Because the drug container and vendor are unaffected in the Companion solution, a lot of the risk, cost and time to get to market is removed from the process. The Companion makes it easier for pharma companies to do the right thing and it offers them a differentiated and marketable delivery system.”
The Companion delivers to the end-user the best in anti-needlestick technology, fulfilling the Desirable Characteristics on OSHA’s Guidelines for Compliance for needled devices. The user experiences passive needlestick safety; the needle retracts automatically into the barrel of the syringe after the injection, as opposed to requiring a specific action after injection. The user is provided audible, tactile and visual cues of the safety engagement and the syringe is then automatically disabled, thereby preventing reuse. Importantly, the system is designed to ensure a proper needle connection to the syringe and to allow all of the standard actions of a conventional syringe, including aspiration and reconstitution of powders, so patient care is not disturbed.
The incidence of needlesticks in hospitals continues to be shockingly high; CDC estimates that more than 1,000 sharps injuries occur every day in U.S. hospitals and the cost to the US healthcare system is estimated to range beyond one billion dollars. Due to the economic impact and the catastrophic risk of transferring bloodborne viruses such as Hepatitis B, C or HIV, legislation has been passed around the world to address the risk. The Companion presents pharmaceutical manufacturers a practical and implementable solution so they can support their customers’ compliance efforts, gain market advantages from a differentiated delivery device, and most importantly, improve the safety of patients and healthcare providers.
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners can view the Companion and learn more about the Innovation Without Change story at PDA’s Universe of Prefilled Syringes and Injection Devices meeting in Huntington Beach, CA on October 6 & 7, and at the Partnership Opportunities in Drug Delivery (PODD) conference in Boston, MA on October 14 & 15. Additionally, Credence has been invited to present the Companion during the PODD formal session.
About Credence MedSystems, Inc.
Credence MedSystems is a medical technology and specialty pharmaceutical company focused on delivering medications safely for the benefit of our patients, caregivers and partners. The Credence Companion Safety Syringe System combines passive retractable needle safety with a modular approach that leaves the primary drug container unchanged, a major advantage for our pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners. Credence is also developing the expertise to provide our customers single-dose injectable medications in prefilled syringes.