Needle-free injection

Using technology similar to that used in airbags, Crossject’s new injection device circumvents needle phobia and reduces the risk of needle-stick injury.

Crossject's Zeneo is a needle-free, pre-filled, single-use injection device for intradermal, subcutaneous or intramuscular injections. It allows a fast, simple, two-step, injuryproof injection and offers an elegant solution for needle-phobic patients, needle-stick injury risk prevention and infectious waste management. Zeneo's ease of use makes it suitable for selfinjection therapy too.

The device uses the stored chemical energy in a miniscule blend of ‘energetic' materials that is released to generate controlled pressure and activate a piston, similar to those in traditional syringes, which in turn generates a high-speed jet of liquid. This liquid penetrates the skin, the subcutaneous layers and tissues up to the desired depth.

Development strategy
From the beginning, Crossject's objective has been to target several poorly met public health needs, including:

• obviation of needle phobia, whichaffects 10% of patients, often compelling them to reject any needed injection treatment
• reduction of needle-stick injury, which negatively impacts medical professionals, care-givers and people directly in contact with contaminated waste
• elimination of complicated injection procedures, which prevent patient self-injection and increase treatment costs; when self-injection is proposed, it usually requires a specific patient education programme; these injection procedures are also largely inappropriate in the case of emergency drug administration.

A strong demand
Half of the pharmaceutical drugs currently in early clinical development require parenteral injection because of their pharmacokinetic properties.

Most of them are biological drugs. This creates a potential market of several billion US dollars for disposable needle-free injection devices.

Several companies have tried to capture this opportunity over the past few years. Many succeeded as far as signing partnerships with big pharmas, but most failed when it came to providing simple devices and/or industrialising their production.

Best-in-class partners
From the beginning, Crossject has recognised the technical challenges it faces.

Its strategy has been to bring together a pool of experts for the industrial development of its unique technology. Crossject has also attracted the best-in-class global partners in key areas such as glass technology and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and has succeeded where others have failed.

Crossject has developed its technology, passed the most stringent manufacturing tests and successfully run several clinical studies, including a 100-patient efficacy study sponsored by its partner GSK Biologicals.

Company profile

Crossject

For further information, visit: www.crossject.com

Email: info@crossject.com