Gerresheimer has developed an interface for the integration of glass syringes in autoinjectors. It has now filed a patent application for its Gx G-Fix standard adapter for precise and reliable positioning of syringes.
Drug delivery devices are playing an increasingly important role in the market for pharmaceutical products. More and more patients suffering from chronic diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis or Parkinson’s disease inject their drugs themselves with the help of autoinjectors. Self-administering drugs in this way obviates the need for regular visits to the doctor, improves their quality of life and reduces the burden on the health care sector.
Most autoinjectors contain two main modules: the injector itself and the prefilled syringe. Both modules are combined in one assembly, which is specified by the pharmaceutical company and supplied to the market in one piece. This approach is important as medical technology products are subject to high quality standards and must be reliable. In practice, however, the production of autoinjectors has to deal with the tolerance requirements of two entirely different materials: the device is made of plastic while the prefilled syringe is made of glass
Gerresheimer, a leading international partner of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, has developed a solution that allows the simple integration of syringes in drug delivery devices and filed for a patent. "Gerresheimer’s Plastics & Devices Division is the expert for glass and polymer products," explained Andreas Schütte, member of the management board of Gerresheimer with responsibility for the company’s Plastics & Devices Division.
"When we developed Gx G-Fix, we pooled our comprehensive intelligence in the area of pre-filled glass syringes and polymer-based drug delivery devices and created an interface that works without complex two-component injection molded parts or sophisticated assembly processes."
Attached to the syringe shoulder, the plastic standard adapter provides a precisely defined interface to the device.
In the autoinjector, Gx G-Fix performs several functions Firstly, the adapter connects the syringe with the device. In the past, the high dimensional tolerance of the glass syringe only permitted limited control of the injection needle’s position in the front opening of the autoinjector.
As Gx G-Fix is specifically adapted to the autoinjector, it allows accurate needle positioning and significantly improved control of the injection process. Secondly, the syringe is more effectively protected against breakage. Conventional products coupled the syringe with the finger flange. When triggered, the structurally sensitive flange is subjected to a lot of pressure and can easily break. With Gx G-Fix, however, attaching the syringe at the sturdier shoulder has minimized the risk of breakage substantially.
The Gx G-Fix is assembled in conjunction with ready-to-fill syringe processing at the syringe manufacturer’s facility Device integration and RNS positioning with Gx G-Fix can be used individually or in combination in the autoinjector. Plastic syringes can also be easily fitted with the adapter. Autoinjectors with Gx G-Fix are therefore suitable for plastic and glass syringes and can be used for a variety of drugs. No changes to the customer’s filling station are necessary.
Gx® is a registered trademark of the Gerresheimer Group. G-Fix™ is a trademark of Gerresheimer.
Gx G-Fix permits the precise and reliable positioning of the syringe. Attached to the syringe shoulder, the plastic standard adapter provides a precisely defined interface to the device. No changes to the customer’s filling station are necessary.