A British healthcare design firm has come out with a new drug-delivery device to add to its innovative portfolio: an auto-injector for rheumatoid arthritis patients. On its head, this might not sound super-glamorous for a firm like Cambridge Consultants, but the design of Aira is much more user-friendly than many other models currently on the market and could truly improve patient experience. The company claims the device reduces pain, allows for smaller needles and shorter injection time, plus has an easy-to-hold handle.
“It’s far easier to hold because it has a handle with a soft grip around it. It means you’re not forced to grip very strongly (onto) the device,” Cambridge Consultants Director of Drug-Delivery Matthew D. Allen said. While it might seem like patient-centered care 101 to consider RA patients may not have the dexterity to hold a small item or apply pressure readily, Allen said he hasn’t seen anything quite like it. He referred to current models of like-injectors as looking “slightly chunkier than pens, so just gripping that in itself is not part easy, you also have to apply some force.”
According to a press release, “the syringe is loaded into the device with the cap on–making it safer and less frightening for the patient. The cap is only removed immediately prior to injection, with the needle out of sight within the device.” (Other products on the market also have this kind of technology, such as the Simponi Smartject or Enbrel Sureclick.)
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The Aira is also reusable, while most like-devices are single-use.
The major usability feature, though, is that the base of the device heats the drug to human temperature in less than a minute. Why?
Rheumatoid arthritis drugs are often stored in the refrigerator and can be viscous (thick), too. Patients are asked to remove the drug from the fridge and let it rise to room temperature before injecting; however, because of impatience, forgetfulness, quicker need for the medication and a host of other reasons, they sometimes don’t. This means they’re injecting cold, thick medicine into their veins with a thicker needle. Oh yeah, since it’s cold and thick, it takes longer to inject.
Ouch.
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On the other hand, Allen said, he’s heard of some patients even using a radiator to warm up the drug, which is a bad idea and could cause the drug to become too hot.
With the Aira, a patient drops his syringe in the device, the device warms the drug up to body temperature and maintains it at that temperature. (See in the picture how the temperature and status of the drug are displayed.)
This makes the drug warmer, yes, but also less viscous, which means a smaller needle can be used and the drug can be injected more quickly. For patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, that means less stress and time spent gripping a device.
The heating base is the real platform technology here; it could be applied to delivery methods for different viscous drugs based on user needs.
Cambridge Consultants typically designs devices clients (both big name–think Novartis–and small startups) request, but occasionally the company is able to set out on its own projects.
“When we get the opportunity–we like to develop this technology for ourselves . . .so we can show the world to show our creative capabilities as well as start a conversation and inspire the industry as to what could be possible. . . .
“If the world were being ambitious, what would you do?” Allen said.
He said potential modifications of “the final embodiment” of Aira could include any feature from an audible indicator to Bluetooth technology that transmits information to a smartphone or to a doctor.
When designing the device, usability came first in the design process, but a focus on regulatory requirements was a close second. Allen said the reason the electronics are included in a base station, rather than in the injector itself, is because it will make it easier to receive clearance through regulatory channels.
Cambridge Consultants will demo the device in November at a Parenteral Drug Association conference in Basel, Switzerland, with sights set on licensing or outright sale of the device. They hope to find a biopharmaceutical company that will invest in the technology “looking to differentiate their product from the competition,” Allen said. Because many of the drugs are generics, a novel auto-injector could set a company apart, he said. “There is competition around marketshare, and we think that usability is a key differential in these sort of products.” They would also consider partnering with a medical devices company that would manufacture the technology, serving as a middle man to pharma.
