Janice Adkins, Becton Dickinson‘s (NYSE: BDX) associate director of marketing, told the audience at PODD this year that the company is focusing its development efforts around trends relating to the delivery of complex biologics.
She pointed towards the company’s Libertas wearable injector as an example of a device that has been designed to address patient needs and the needs of BD’s pharmaceutical partners.
“We are all seeing the need or the desire to move injection of biologics from your standard or traditional healthcare setting to home care delivery settings,” Adkins said. “That is also driving the transformation or the shift of injection of drugs or infusion of drugs from intravenous infusion to subcutaneous delivery.”
BD’s Libertas wearable injector is a pre-filled, disposable, single-use technology that can deliver up to 10 mL of drugs, Adkins explained.
The primary container used with the company’s Libertas product is the Neopak refill syringe, which Adkins said is specifically designed for sensitive biologics.
The wearable also features BD’s Penta Point needle technology, which helps ease the injection into the skin and lower injection pressure, according to Adkins.
“Ultimately what you get is a fully integrated system with a primary container with a secondary device that does work optimally as a system, that would meet the combination requirements and would also lower your risk in the market place,” she said.
The company has a number of other products designed for biologics with different properties, like its Physioject auto-injector which was designed for small-volume 1 mL injections. BD also highlighted its Intevia product, which it’s developing for the delivery of viscous drugs in 1 mL injections.
