Second Patent For Mixing Lyophilized (Freeze-Dried) Drugs In A Needle-Less Injector Awarded To Penjet® Corporation

The first U.S. patents for mixing lyphophilized (freeeze-dried) drugs prior to painlessly injecting without using needles in a revolutionary, inexpensive, lipstick-sized device called the PenJet® have been granted. This is especially important for the new biotech drugs being developed that have extremely a limited shelf life in liquid form, but can last indefinitely when lyophilized and mixed with a diluent just prior to injecting.

     A second US Patent for mixing a lyophilized (freeze-dried) drug with a diluent in a needle-less jet injector prior to administration has been granted to PenJet® Corporation, a Los Angeles, CA medical device company, it was announced today. Foreign patents are pending.
     Pharmaceutical manufacturers will now be able to package their innovative lyophilized drugs in a needle-less, single use, inexpensive jet injector," said Thomas P. Castellano, PenJet® Corporations CEO. Although it has wide applicability for the needle-less delivery of a great many drugs, it is particularly relevant to the increasing number of highly potent, biotechnologically derived proteins that require lyophilization to maintain their required shelf life."
     The PenJet® needle-less injector is packaged with a lyophilized drug in its integral ampoule along with a reagent (diluent) in a separate carrier. Prior to administering an injection, the user docks the diluent housing to the front of the PenJet® ampoule. The reagent is pushed into the ampoule containing the lyophilized product, liquefying it so it can be injected   
     The PenJet® patented shuttle system allows the two components to be thoroughly mixed by transferring it back and forth a few times. After mixing, the user removes the reagent housing from the end of the PenJet® and administers a needle-less injection.
     To give a needle-less injection with a PenJet®, a protective cap and safety ring that avoids accidental triggering is removed, the nozzle is placed against a suitable injection site, such as the upper arm, thigh or stomach, and the PenJet® administers the injection when gently pressed. After use, the PenJet® can be safely discarded in any trash receptacle, or recycled into non-medical devices, since it has no needle and has injected all the medication or vaccine it contained.
     Half the size of a conventional fountain pen, the PenJet®, uses a patented self-contained, compressed inert gas system to inject drugs into the skin surface without a needle. The patient experiences minimal sensation and no noise when the injection is given.
     PenJets can administer a wide range of subcutaneous, intradermal and some intermuscular injections® and will be shipped from a pharmaceutical company, pre-filled with a drug dose ready to inject.
     Unlike a disposable syringe with a needle that is filled from a medication bottle, PenJets® both store and administer a needle-less injection. This eliminates the pain and fear associated with needles, as well as the risk of accidental needle sticks and improper dosages. Compared to prior jet injectors, which are expensive, noisy, awkward to fill and inject with, the small PenJet® is easy to store, carry and use.
     PenJets® are safe and simple enough for most people to instantly administer an injection to themselves or others without any prior experience. Coupled with its low cost, PenJets® are applicable for usages ranging from mass inoculations of entire populations for diseases such as influenza and smallpox, to home administration of pharmaceuticals by patients or their caregivers. It should prove useful in underdeveloped nations where vaccines can be distributed and safely administered to people who have little or no access to health care professionals.
       PenJet® Corporation has begun to license pharmaceutical companies to use its innovative needle-less drug delivery systems, which are covered by nine U.S. patents with many more pending in the U.S. and around the world.
        PenJet® Corporation is a private company specializing in proprietary drug delivery systems that encompass drug delivery devices, and fully automated aseptic assembly and filling equipment. Its principals have licensed many medical device patents they have been awarded to some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers. Its website is at http://www.penjet.com.