Jabil Healthcare has introduced an autoinjector drug-delivery device that reduces per-injection cost by as much as 65% compared with the most popular autoinjectors on the market. The Qfinity platform, designed with an eye toward sustainability, is also the first time that Jabil Healthcare has directly offered a drug-delivery platform to pharmaceutical and medical device OEMs.

Designed to accommodate various drug volumes and viscosities, the Qfinity features a patient-centric form factor and is intentionally designed to be sustainable and reusable at its core, all at a lower cost than market alternatives, said Jabil Healthcare, a division of Jabil Inc.

Jabil Healthcare notes that a 2019 study from researchers at Babes-Boylal University in Romania found that the highest percentage of medical-grade plastic waste is generated by plastic disposable syringes. To address this problem, the durable Qfinity autoinjector delivers more than 100 injections per device and accommodates 1 mL- or 2.25 mL pre-filled disposable cassettes. Because the Qfinity autoinjector platform consumes fewer components and material, it’s estimated that the device delivers up to a 65% reduction in cost per injection versus the market-leading disposable autoinjectors. It also results in a carbon-footprint reduction of as much as 60% per injection, has a 50% smaller manufacturing footprint, and represents a 70% reduction in CAPEX, according to Jabil Healthcare.

The handheld device is also available in a connected version, the Qfinity+ autoinjector, which enables medical teams to remotely monitor patient compliance via built-in sensors and electronics. The drive unit form factor and the user steps are exactly the same as the non-connected version. Capture and transmission of data operate seamlessly by virtue of the Qfinity+ Home Hub, which provides charging and cellular data transfer functionality in near real-time without requiring input from the patient.

“Qfinity+ enables connectivity without impacting ease of use, while enabling seamless data transfer at up to 20% lower cost per injection compared to unconnected, market-leading disposable autoinjectors,” said Conor Mulcahy, Senior Director of Strategic Projects, Jabil. “Within the disposable mechanical autoinjector market, a common route for delivering connectivity is a 'sleeve' that fits over the autoinjector and captures adherence and/or compliance and communicates those events to the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth. Jabil’s decision to instead develop the cellular Qfinity+ Home Hub goes back to our primary objective — maximizing access,” said Mulcahy.