PATH and PharmaJet, a privately held company, said they are collaborating “to bring developing countries safe, effective, and affordable injections without using needles.” The new partnership “will evaluate a new generation of needle-free injection technologies, including PharmaJet’s needle-free, disposable-syringe jet injectors. These vaccine delivery technologies could reduce health risks and costs associated with traditional needle injections.” Starting in Brazil, where clinical studies are scheduled to begin in early 2010, PATH will evaluate needle-free delivery of a variety of vaccines compared to delivery by needle and syringe. Vaccines to be tested include those to prevent measles-mumps-rubella and yellow fever. PATH and its Brazilian partners also plan to conduct pilot introduction studies and other activities to facilitate adoption of needle-free technologies like the PharmaJet system. Darin Zehrung, team leader for vaccine delivery technologies at PATH, said, “Disposable-syringe jet injector technology has the potential to provide safer and more affordable vaccines to millions of people around the world. This collaboration is an important step in our work to explore the regulatory pathway, commercial viability, and sustainability of this class of jet injectors in the developing world and share that knowledge with the entire global health community.”
PATH noted WHO estimates that at least 16 billion injections are given in developing and transitional countries each year. Prior to the introduction of autodisable syringes and a worldwide emphasis on injection safety, “health officials estimated that at least 50 percent of injections in developing countries were considered to be unsafe.” Unsafe injections can expose individuals to the risk of infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. Infection can occur when health workers or patients reuse syringes, contaminate medications with used syringes, or accidentally injure the patient or themselves with a used needle. While developing countries have begun extensive efforts to improve injection safety, the costs and difficulty of managing ever-growing volumes of vaccine and sharps waste remain an obstacle to safety, PATH noted.
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 