Autoinjectors Gaining Acceptance as Suppliers Adjust to a Rapidly Changing Device Landscape
Improved Designs and Enhanced Ease-of-Use Features Key Factors in Patient Acceptance according to Greystone Research Associates
(Amherst, NH) – The aging global population is having a major impact on the growing emphasis on drug self-administration. This trend is creating an increased demand for medical devices that are patient-friendly and cost-effective. Autoinjectors, a relatively new class of injection devices, have been a major benefactor of this trend, and have grown rapidly to overtake pen injectors as the third largest injection device segment.
Autoinjectors owe their existence to the emergence of the prefilled syringe as a major drug delivery platform. The number of drugs available in prefilled syringes as a percentage of all injectable drugs continues to grow. So too does the number of injectable drugs indicated for chronic conditions and self-administration. These market factors foretell positive market dynamics for autoinjectors for the remainder of the decade.
Until a few years ago autoinjectors were designed to be reused. The reason was that the injectors were too expensive to be successfully marketed as a throw-away device. Recent improvements in materials technology and device design are enabling the creation of autoinjectors that can be made economically in high production quantities, opening the door for the disposable autoinjector. Since autoinjectors have about a dozen parts and a cost substantially more than a disposable syringe, this is a critical factor.
Suppliers of autoinjectors face several challenges as the market evolves and matures. Continued interest in plastic prefilled syringes will require non-brand specific injector manufacturers to validate that their devices function consistently and safely over the range of these emerging PFS devices – devices with rigidity, barrel lubricity and flexural properties that differ not insignificantly from type 1 glass. They will have to compete – in some cases head-on – with prefilled syringe suppliers, who are increasingly incorporating autoinjector-like ease-of-use features into their PFS designs to differentiate their product lines and in some cases to meet their pharma customer requirements for product-specific syringe designs.
In the past 24 months, the competitive picture for autoinjectors has evolved considerably as companies modify and refine their product strategies to reflect changing market conditions. SHL Medical continues to be aggressive in terms of facilities and infrastructure investment at its manufacturing hub (Taiwan), and remains the autoinjectors segment leader in terms of the number of branded autoinjector products. Ypsomed has adjusted its autoinjector offerings as the company consolidates its injection device business to reflect the loss of Sanofi as a major OEM customer and as it continues to build its diabetes franchise which is being driven in large part by its distribution agreement with Insulet (USA) for the OmniPod wearable insulin pump.
One long-time autoinjector supplier has retired several of its autoinjector products from the market, while a newer market entrant has announced a new platform of power assisted injectors. A European supplier has exited the autoinjector market entirely. Becton Dickinson continues to be deliberate in its approach to this segment. The company introduced a new prefillable syringe designed to be paired with its Physioject autoinjector for the delivery of biological drugs.
The evolving autoinjector market is detailed in a new and comprehensive report researched and written by Greystone Research Associates. Autoinjectors to 2022 analyzes the global market for autoinjectors by therapeutic market, device class and competitor. The report analyzes demand drivers, development factors, market considerations, and strategic and economic factors, and provides profiles of market sector participants.
More information is available at http://www.greystoneassociates.org
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