USA – Becton, Dickinson (BD &Co.) has launched its next-generation glass pre-fillable syringe (PFS) for vaccine delivery, the Effivax syringe featuring tightened specifications for processability, cosmetics, contamination, and integrity.
The company designed it in collaboration with top pharmaceutical firms to meet the evolving needs of vaccine manufacturing.
With a pre-fillable syringe system, the very nature of its design eliminates the withdrawal step and delivers the drug product directly to the patient, which can result in a more accurate dose of the drug with less exposure to needles.
Prefilled syringes provide greater patient safety by reducing the potential for inadvertent needle sticks and exposure to toxic products that can occur while drawing medication from vials.
In addition, prefilled syringes, with their pre-measured dosage, can reduce dosing errors and increase patient compliance.
“As biopharmaceutical companies continue to rapidly grow their vaccine pipelines, demand for PFS is accelerating across the globe – given their proven ability to facilitate faster administration, support dose sparing, and reduce vaccine waste,” said Eric Borin, worldwide president of BD Pharmaceutical Systems.
“The launch of BD Effivax glass pre-fillable syringe strategically supports this growth and will create needed efficiencies in end-to-end production.”
Effivax glass PFS offers design enhancements focused on fill/finish and container reliability. The company designed it to reduce the risk of line stoppage.
It also improves the total cost of ownership, manufacturing capacity, and supply availability.
BD pushes forward with PFS initiatives
BD said the Effivax PFS will benefit from its recent investment in PFS technology. In 2020, BD announced plans to invest US$1.2 billion over four years to enhance its manufacturing capacity and technology for pre-fillable syringes and advanced drug delivery systems.
Last year, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) provided US$42 million as part of a US$70 million project to expand the operations and manufacturing lines at BD’s Holdrege, Nebraska facility. BD got those lines up and running by October 2021.
The following month, BD broke ground on its US$200 million pre-filled drug delivery device manufacturing plant in Spain.
In May 2021, it said it would build the US$201.5 million (€165 million) high-tech manufacturing facility in Zaragoza, Spain, with expectations of creating up to 600 jobs at the facility by 2030.
BD’s new plant in Zaragoza will produce drug delivery devices, primarily for pharmaceutical companies that supply the European market with drugs in pre-fillable syringes such as vaccines and other biologic drugs, BD Pharmaceutical Systems worldwide president Eric Borin said at the time.
BD said it plans to maintain robust capacity for PFS to reduce the time and labor required for vaccine preparation.
The company is preparing for the future of vaccinations, including mRNA and ones used for COVID-19.
Pre-fillable drug systems are a known factor in helping health care providers effectively, reliably, and consistently administer drug therapies.
Currently, more than 70% of the top 100 biopharmaceutical companies rely on BD pre-fillable syringes.
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