Safety syringe heads to market

A ready-to-fill syringe having integrated passive safety features within the glass barrel is heading to market. The Unifill syringe (pre-commercially known as the Unilife Ready-to-Fill Syringe) is designed for compatibility with most of the drug filling and packaging systems of its maker's pharmaceutical customers. It lets operators control the rate of passive needle retraction directly from the body into the barrel of the syringe to protect those at risk of needlestick injury.

The syringe is being commercialized by Unilife and a pharmaceutical partner. Unilife says in an announcement that it is working on additional products that will carry the Unifill brand for marketing to drug makers.

Unilife currently markets Unitract brand 1-milliliter safety syringes for the administration of vial- or ampule-packaged medications at healthcare facilities and by patients. The company says that two billion prefilled syringes are used globally each year, and drug makers are migrating to products that comply with needlestick prevention laws.

- here's the announcement