Collaborative projects

Injections are an effective way to administer medicines to patients and can be used to control high doses of medicines, achieving a rapid response.

Injections are often used in emergencies for severely ill patients; they are used to inject medicine directly into the blood stream.

Intravenous injections must be sterile, highly pure, clear solutions. Many injections must be dissolved in the correct fluid or diluted to the right strength. Because of those complexities, intravenous medicines are usually only to be given by health professionals, and often only in hospitals however, even with these controls, many mistakes are made annually that can put patients at harm.

Capavalve is a patented technology that separates a conventional syringe into multiple chambers. This means that more than one medicine can be included in the same syringe without them interacting, safely reducing the number of injections to be given. It also provides for a drug solution or powder to be kept separate from the diluting liquid within the syringe. Because the drug is diluted or dissolved within the syringe, the risks of introducing infection are reduced.

Schematic of the valve in operation in a syringe

• It can be incorporated into existing and well-tested industrial manufacturing and assembly pathways for syringe products.
• Capavalve could be used as a generic pre-filled syringe platform technology for generic and proprietary/innovator pharmaceutical and healthcare products.
• It can help reduce the risk of errors when administering injections, removing risks to the safety of patients.
• It minimises the number of injections required by patients by including more than one drug formulation in a single syringe.
• It can reduce the complex delivery of products that require a separate IV line flush by including the line flush in the same syringe as the initial drug.
• Capavalve syringes could also make it possible for patients to receive injections in their homes and not have to attend out-patient clinics or hospitals for therapy.