Protean Platform

Leading manufacturer, Shaily Engineering Plastics, had been in discussion with IDC for some time to develop a generic drug injection pen platform, which was fast tracked once a pharmaceutical client seeking a three dose injector pen came onboard. Such platforms tend to be highly patent protected, making the development of new device very challenging. The team was aware that several patents were expiring for mechanisms within an existing device, which opened the door to developing a new platform with the ability to develop our own IP.

Partnering with Shaily and their manufacturing expertise, we were briefed to develop a high quality disposable injection pen platform capable for use as a single dose, three dose and a 60 unit insulin variant (disposable and reusable variant), for delivery of drugs such as Abaloparatide, Liraglutide or Insulin Glargine, all utilising the same internal core mechanism. The device was to be manufactured at Shaily’s world class facility, with sub-assemblies going on to the pharmaceutical company for final assembly with a prefilled cartridge.

IDC has wide experience of designing drug delivery injection pens. The team’s existing knowledge was invaluable in this respect, since it provided a broader understanding and clarity in what would otherwise have been a long learning process. With several patents still in place on the existing injector platform, our engineers worked to devise new internal features that avoided infringement - right down to how the components connected within the device from the outer button. Safety and accuracy were of the highest priority and our engineers developed a unique ‘last dose lockout’ mechanism to ensure that if any drug was left after the final dose was delivered, the user couldn’t access any further medication along with a patented assembly method.

Protean was designed to be all plastic and built using high performance bio-compatible plastics from DuPont, Celanese and Borealis. The plastics were carefully trialled and selected to provide excellent dimensional stability to work with the tight tolerances of the device. We also worked closely with the pharmaceutical company to develop the cartridge requirements for the devices, advising on materials, design and assembly processes.