Innovation and technological advancements form the cornerstone of the entire healthcare ecosystem, and specifically in drug delivery systems. However, the real impact of innovation is wholly felt during emergency medical circumstances – such as administering drugs with the help of syringes. Nonetheless, there is a host of problems that can, and has occurred with syringes in the past. Dosage errors, contamination, needle-stick injury – to name a few. This is exactly where innovation has taken great strides with the invention of pre-filled syringes (PFS), to turn tides in favour of increased safety and efficacy.
What is PFS ?
PFS are disposable syringes which are preloaded with drug(s), that needs to be injected. It possesses a different make in terms of the primary container, with a fixed dose of drug for delivery. PFS are typically made of a glass barrel, and the drug to be administered is packed inside the barrel. It has a broad range of therapeutic applications which comprise anticoagulants, biotech, vaccines, and acute care. The industry’s preference for these syringes is spiralling, and so is consumers’ acceptance towards PFS.
In a healthcare setting, where more than 90 per cent of parenteral drugs come in vials and ampules, data suggests that ready-to-use PFS presents a safer, more efficient option. PFS reduces the risk of drug contamination – this clearly is one of its major benefits. In conventional syringes, the risk of contamination increases when a syringe is inserted into a drug vial. In PFS, a pre-sterilised syringe eliminates this risk and thereby, ups the safety, apart from cutting down the processes of on-site vial cleaning and dry-heat sterilisation. In fact, it significantly reduces the possibility of cross-infection that might arise from needle reuse. It also decreases the risk of needle-stick injuries considerably, on account of their integration with safety devices. Furthermore, the potential risk of exposure to hazardous substances that can occur during the process of drawing medication from vials – remains negligible.
In my years of experience, I have come to observe that PFS is especially useful in emergency situations, where patients are in a critical condition. They can be easily applied in such conditions, owing to the ease with which it can be administered. This has also been backed up by the Time and Motion Study, which was conducted in 2013 in association with Indian Academy of Paediatrics Committee on Immunization (IAPCOI) – to assess the impact of PFS on efficiency during vaccination. It was discovered that the time to perform the total vaccination process is two times faster with PFS. With this distinctive feature, healthcare practitioners’ save significantly on the total time and effort needed for administering drugs thereby also reducing overall healthcare costs.
Lower risk
For healthcare professionals, PFS has proven to be easy and convenient to administer. Since they come with the exact drug dosage, they minimise the potential risk of dosage errors. However, this is not only apt for medical providers, but also beneficial for biopharmaceutical companies, as it considerably reduces drug wastage. Moreover, there is no risk of overfill and thereby, it reduces the cost of the drug. These are some of the significant elements that make pre-filled syringes favourable and would certainly influence drug administering, in the times to come. One of the key domains where PFS is gaining popularity is for certain types of chronic diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disorders and some forms of allergies. Given the host of advantages, it is evident that PFS offer better patient and healthcare experiences.
At a time when our country is betting big on quality healthcare and greater accessibility, minimising existing gaps like the one prevalent in safer, efficacious syringes, will traverse a long way to meet this objective. Precisely-filled drugs in prefilled syringes are certainly going to overcome existing challenges with respect to medical errors, exposure to nosocomial infection, wastage of drugs, and supplies at large. It can be safely said that pre-filled syringes are the way ahead to achieve substantial leapfrog in drug delivery mechanisms, along with ensuring safety and efficacy of the highest level.
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