Engineering Advances In Needle Geometry To Accommodate Viscous Biologics

By Silvia Gallina, Product Management Team Member for Syringe Platform, Stevanato Group

In many ways, drug delivery can be regarded as a science of managing variables. The variables in question might be influenced by, for example, evolving market requirements, advances in technological capabilities or the emergence of breakthrough treatments. Alternatively, the status quo might be challenged by the continual push to innovate around patient needs, whether in terms of maximising therapeutic benefit, reducing exposure to risk or providing a better drug delivery experience overall.

One area where such challenges have given rise to new and evolving variables is in the parenteral delivery of biologics and the associated requirement to handle high-viscosity formulations. Another example can be seen in the healthcare industry’s transition towards increased levels of drug self-administration in the home rather than in traditional clinical settings. At the intersection of these two examples, further challenges have arisen in the effort to deliver viscous biologics via patient-controlled injection devices.

This article reflects on these trends, exploring the questions they pose in relation to drug delivery and the associated issues that can arise for patients. It then goes on to explain how Stevanato Group is supporting pharma companies in responding to these challenges, specifically focusing on the development of a special thin-wall needle that fulfils the growing need for managing the delivery of viscous injectable formulations within autoinjector devices.