Prefilled syringes have witnessed rapid growth in the last few years. The pharmaceutical industry seeks more advanced and convenient drug delivery methods. With the introduction of prefilled syringes, there is minimal wastage of drugs, increased lifespan of the medicine, and the convenience of self-administration. The presence of prefilled injectable drugs allows an individual to administer the dose at home instead of going to the hospital and investing time and money.
Expansion of pre-filled syringes
The pharmaceutical market has grown over the years and is exploring every option outside the conventional process. In the past, glass syringes dominated the industry, but today the trend is shifting to the use of high-quality plastic and disposable syringes. Prefilled syringes have been in use across the globe in a wide array of therapeutic sectors like blood stimulants, vaccines, and so on.
Prevention of contamination
Over the years, the pharmaceutical industry has gradually shifted towards pre-filled syringe usage. The prime reason behind the shift is that prefilled syringes can address a lot of the problems that are common in traditional syringe setups. One of the highlighting advantages of using prefilled syringes is the elimination or reduction of drug contamination. Every time a syringe is inserted into a vial to draw the dose, it is a potential admixture-associated contamination risk.
Thanks to pre-sterilized syringes that increase safety and eliminate the need for on-site cleaning. With the presence of modern techniques, like electron beam sterilization tunnels, manufacturers can develop large-scale prefilled syringes. Plastic-based Cyclopoly Olefin (COP) resin is becoming the common material in the majority of prefilled syringes. This is mainly because of COP’s resistance to breakage, and lesser reactivity to surface and drug absorption rates compared to the glass vials.
Convenience and ease of usage
Vaccines and injectable products are not always stored in a perfect environment. They are required to be deployed regularly in emergencies and also respond to the different disease outbreaks. Prefilled syringes are considered a better option because of the rapid speed at which such syringes can be administered. Furthermore, one doesn’t have to be a specialized expert to administer the prefilled syringes. Drug reconstitution can be deployed at home by common people without the need to seek the assistance of doctors.
Medical professionals around the world respond positively to the benefits of using prefilled syringes. They seem to be preferring the prefilled technology to standard syringes. Furthermore, pre-filled syringes are manufactured with ready-to-use medicine with precise drug dosage. This is one of the highlighting advantages, minimizing the risks of potential dosage errors.
The pharmaceutical companies manufacturing the prefilled syringes with the exact dosage are useful and convenient not only for home users but medical users as well. It helps to prevent or eliminate a large quantity of drug wastage. Usually, the conventional single-dose vials and the multidose vials have a 20% to 25% of drug overfill. This can lead to overdosing and thereby cause side effects. It is not the case with prefilled syringes, thereby ensuring the drug administrator delivers the correct and precise dose and eliminates human errors.
Self-injectable vials for home use
One of the key reasons behind the rising popularity and rapid growth of prefilled syringes is the home use suitability. The self-injectable prefilled syringes trend offers an immense advantage of convenience for regular patients. Auto-injectors and pen injectors are the two most common self-administrations used for insulin injections, home replacement therapies, autoimmune therapies, cancer, and allergy treatment. Pen injectors have been in use since the 1980s, which eventually gave rise to auto-injection technologies.
The advanced, disposable, and modern prefilled syringe technologies feature a hidden integrated needle that can be administered into the skin to a depth of 2.5mm. There is a passive safety feature that enables the prefilled syringes to be thrown away without needlestick injury risks. Furthermore, the syringe technology also allows for changes to the gauge of the hidden needle so that different drug formulations can be catered to.
Growth and innovation in prefilled syringe market
The pharmaceutical sector is dependent on the continuous innovation and improvement of its products. The prefilled syringe manufacturers around the world always strive towards the efficacy, convenience, and safety of the syringes. A major aspect of the innovations involved in prefilled syringes is based on addressing ongoing safety against needlestick injuries. A lot of the development in the area focuses on expanding the reach and range of applications for which prefilled syringes can be perfectly suited.
Technology has advanced in a state where multiple-chamber prefilled syringes are available. Such syringes have the potential to administer a freeze-dried drug contained in one of the chambers. The second chamber on the syringe contains a diluent liquid. When the plunger on the syringe is pushed down, the chambers mix the diluent and the dry powder in a quick swirl motion. Furthermore, the prefilled syringe manufacturers are also working towards addressing safety concerns involving needlestick injuries.
Because prefilled syringes are self-contained products, they demand lesser interaction and preparation when compared with standard syringes. Therefore, prefilled syringes are considered better in their design to prevent needlestick events. Scientists and researchers all over the world are working towards more proactive safety measure designs for integrating with prefilled syringes. This will eliminate unnecessary and hazardous possibilities of injuries. Safety measures range from simple needle shields or protectants to auto-needle retraction systems that place the needle inside the syringe barrel even when taken away from the injection site.
ConclusionÂ
Convenience, ease of use, and eliminating dose errors are some of the biggest advantages of using prefilled syringes. The manufacturers have to face several challenges like concerns with quality control, drug stability, interactions and reactions with other products, and so on. Prefilled syringes make administering drugs easier and safer for patients and doctors alike. The patients always receive the right drug dosage. Moreover, the less overfilled prefilled syringes have an advantage over vials of eliminating the overdosing incidents. The technology behind prefilled syringes makes them easy to use, convenient, and safe as well. They might be costlier than traditional vials, but the convenience of use and the safety surpass the expense.
