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Small needles coming to a surgery near you soon!

10/02/2003

"This award is the culmination of a substantial effort by NESTA staff who have worked with Imprint to map a path forward for the development of this product to the benefit of all patients."

Dr Maynard and Mr Crocker have over 20 year's experience in the pharmaceutical industry. They co-founded Imprint Pharmaceuticals Ltd to oversee the devleopment of the project to satisfy what was clearly an urgent need for patients. Imprint has already won the Best Business Proposition Award sponsored by Kleinwort Benson Private Bank in March 2002 in addition to HP Invention of the Year, 2001 for the technology.

The project started as they were appalled by the trauma of large needle injections which can induce panic attacks in some patients and outright fear in others. These large needles need careful administration by a skilled operator to avoid substantial patient pain and trauma. However, doctors are in a dilemma as large needles are required to deliver the increasing complex formulations used in modern medicines which can occasionally block even the largest acceptable needles.

The needle has the potential to save hospitals thousands of pounds. Many of these injectable complex formulations are some of the most expensive therapies used by the NHS and other health services world-wide. If the therapy blocks the needle, then it could be a thousand pounds wasted. DepotOne should reduce the potential for this to occur. To quote a senior vice president of a large pharmaceutical company, "DepotOne is a simple yet elegant solution to a real problem in new injectable formulations".

DepotOne is a truly novel needle and has the best of both worlds. It has the fluidics of a large needle but the size (diameter) of a small needle. The large fluidics enable the delivery of the most complicated formulations whilst the small diameter of the needle enables it to be delivered with the same low pain of a small needle. The simplicity of the device belies the step-change in needle technology this represents. Doctors can now devleop better drugs, for example, longer acting, higher dose drugs, whilst patients can look forward to no longer fearing large needles - a thing of the past. The needle will also enable frail patients, such as the elderly and arthritic, to inject viscous drugs by reducing the force required to inject without resorting to an unacceptable large needle.

The technology has the unique ability to enhance the treatment of a large number of clinical conditions that are currently inadequately treated or in some cases, untreatable. Therapeutic areas, which are likely to benefit from this technology, include, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and CNS disorders.

Jeremy Newton, NESTA's Chief Executive, said: "NESTA is delighted to be supporting a project that has the potential to radically change modern healthcare for the better. If the idea does get of the ground I'm sure it will be welcomed by a majority of the population who have injection phobias, just like me!"

Kevin Maynard said: "We are really proud of securing this NESTA award which is so much more than just a financial package. It is the culmination of a substantial effort by NESTA staff who have worked with Imprint to map a path forward for the development of this product to the benefit of all patients. All at Imprint would like to thank the staff at NESTA for their efforts."

NESTA's investment in this project will fund the CE marketing, a process that is vital to attracting drug licensing partners.

NESTA was introduced to the team behind Imprint Pharmaceuticals Ltd after winning the Kleinwort Benson Award for Best Business Proposition at the 2002 Medical Futures Awards.