Delivering peace of mind
October 9, 2017 – Biotechnology –
Help is
on the horizon for patients juggling complicated treatment regimens for chronic
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A novel approach to drug delivery
from technology and product design firm Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) is paving the way for a new generation of treatment that is easier for
patients and cost effective for healthcare providers.
Klarus
is set to transform the world of auto-injectors – doing away with the need for
RA patients to worry about storing their drugs in the fridge, warming them up
to the correct temperature for injection, preparing their auto-injector for use
and disposing of the device safely. Klarus does everything for them – they
simply have to pick up the reusable auto-injector from its base station when
prompted to do so, inject themselves and then return the device to its cradle.
‘Itís
the Nespresso of auto-injectors,’ said Uri Baruch, head of drug delivery at
CDP. ‘Klarus will store drugs at the correct temperature and warm them up when
required – minimising the pain of injecting cold medication. It will then
prepare the auto-injector with the correct needle and medication cartridge, and
prompt the patient to take their drug.
‘After
injection, Klarus will collect the needle and cartridge ready for safe disposal
– alerting the patient when supplies are running low, and reordering if
required. The base station technology could be adapted to cope with multiple
users and different medications – either in the home or at a small clinic, for
example. It uses fingerprint recognition technology to identify the correct
user each time and a childproof lock to prevent accidental use.’
As well
as RA, Klarus could be used to treat diseases such as multiple sclerosis or to
administer vaccines. It could also enable some cancer patients to be treated at
home using drugs that are currently only allowed to be given in hospital. And
it opens the door to the emerging world of companion diagnostics and truly
personalised medication, where treatment is tailored to each individual patient
using genetic information.
‘All too
often, patients with a chronic disease face the additional burden of struggling
with a complex treatment regimen at home,’ said Uri. ‘Learning how to use a new
drug delivery device and remembering multiple treatment steps can be
challenging – particularly for the elderly or those with dexterity issues.
Thatís one of the reasons why adherence rates are often low – many patients
just give up or fail to take their medication correctly.
Uri Baruch
‘Our Klarus
system alleviates that burden for the patient and helps ensure they get the full
benefit from their treatment. It automates many of the use steps commonly missed
or not carried out by patients – such as checking the use-by date or
remembering to inject when following an irregular therapy schedule. Weíve used
state-of-the-art technology and applied our user experience and human factors
expertise – together with our knowledge of medical device regulation and our skills
in electronics, mechanical engineering, software and connectivity – to create a
radically new approach to drug delivery.’
The Klarus
system could be offered to patients as a subscription-based service. It is expected
to cost healthcare providers less than $1,000 per system, and the cartridges
would be around $2 each. So Klarus would pay for itself in the space of just
one year if, for example, a patient was having weekly injections for RA at a typical
cost of $10 per single-use auto-injector. As well as helping to improve patient
outcomes, it would also be more environmentally friendly – saving on packaging
and involving the disposal of only a small cartridge each time, rather than an
entire auto-injector.
Uri will
be talking about the Klarus system in track B of the drug delivery technology
presentations on 19 October at the Partnerships in Drug Delivery event in
Boston, US. The CDP team will also be showcasing Klarus at PDAís Universe of
Pre-filled Syringes and Injection Devices event, 7-8 November 2017, at the Austria
Center Vienna, stand X92.
About Cambridge Design Partnership
Cambridge Design Partnership is a technology and product design partner
focused on helping clients grow their businesses. Some of the worldís largest
companies trust CDP to develop their most important innovations. Located in
both Cambridge (UK) and in Palo Alto, California (US), CDP specialises in the
consumer products, healthcare, energy and industrial equipment markets. Its
multidisciplinary staff have the expert knowledge to identify opportunities and
tackle the challenges its clients face. For more information, visit www.cambridge-design.co.uk
Media Contact
Debbie
Mayhew
+44
(0)1223 265758
