BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a global medical technology company, and Biocorp, a medical device and delivery systems manufacturer based in France, have announced that they have signed an agreement with the aim of using connected technology to track adherence for self-administered drug therapies, like biologics.
To support biopharmaceutical companies in their efforts to improve the adherence and outcomes of injectable drugs, the two companies will integrate Biocorp’s Injay technology – a solution designed to capture and transmit injection events using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology – to the BD UltraSafe Plus Passive Needle Guard used with prefillable syringes.
“Connected drug delivery devices play an important role in helping biopharmaceutical manufacturers understand and track key trends in patient adherence,” said Matthew Schabacker, vice president and general manager of Advanced Drug Delivery Solutions at BD. “Our agreement with BioCorp enables us to explore innovative solutions in this market and further supports BD’s commitment to smart, connected care, enabling care to transition to alternate settings and improving chronic disease outcomes — as we combine Biocorp’s expertise in developing and commercialising connected drug delivery devices to our existing portfolio of advanced injection drug delivery systems.”
Biocorp’s Injay is a simple and cost-effective connected solution designed to monitor the use of pre-fillable syringes in clinical studies or routine care. Through NFC technology and specific sensors to identify the product, it can confirm a complete injection and easily transfer that information to a smartphone.
“We are very proud to announce this collaboration with BD, a worldwide leader in pre-filled syringes and safety device market,” said Eric Dessertenne, CEO of Biocorp. “It shows the leading position of Biocorp in the field of smart drug delivery devices and addresses an unmet need in the market today.”
The increased prevalence of self-administered therapies for chronic diseases coupled with the pervasiveness of digital technologies in everyone’s life open new opportunities to improve outcomes and experience for patients and to increase the ability to monitor medication adherence.
The global connected drug delivery market is expected to grow at double digit growth rates over the next decade – fuelled by the transition from acute care settings to home care and the increased prevalence of self-administered therapies. Today, BD is an expert in supplying prefillable syringes and safety systems to the biopharmaceutical industry – with approximately 70 percent of the top 100 biopharmaceutical companies using BD devices, and more than one billion BD UltraSafe units sold since 2010 being used to administer over 40 different drugs.