West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), a leading global developer and manufacturer of components and systems for injectable drug delivery, today announced the expansion of the NovaGuard portfolio of needle safety products. The NovaGuard SA (Staked-needle Automatic) system, formerly called the B.Safe syringe system technology, is now part of the NovaGuard system technology platform of syringe safety systems that build on West's expertise in safe drug administration and needlestick prevention features. The NovaGuard SA system technology has been introduced to provide a global solution for reducing the risk of needlestick injuries around staked-needle prefilled syringe systems. Prospective customers began evaluating NovaGuard SA last year, and West is expanding capacity to meet expected increases in market demand.
West works side-by-side with top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to design and manufacture drug packaging and delivery systems that bring injectable drugs from concept to the patient efficiently, reliably and safely. The NovaGuard products platform brings several of West's leading drug delivery and needle safety technologies together under a unified brand aimed at enhancing the safety, convenience and effectiveness of drug administration, and will complement West's broad packaging and delivery solutions for drugs packaged in a prefillable syringe.
"Every day, injectable drugs using West technologies are administered to improve the lives of millions of patients around the world," said Graham Reynolds, Vice President, Marketing and Innovation, West Pharmaceutical Services. "It is essential that these drugs are delivered as safely as possible so patients and healthcare workers alike are not put at risk. With our NovaGuard family of dependable, easy-to-use safety systems, we are able to meet growing market demand for safe drug delivery solutions worldwide and work together with our customers to create a healthier world."
"Accidental needlestick injuries are a major cause of exposure to serious diseases among healthcare workers, with more than one million needlestick injuries occurring each year," said Ron Stoker, Executive Director, International Sharps Injury Prevention Society. "We believe that a significant number of needlestick injuries can be prevented by adopting safety-engineered products and services. Innovative technologies such as West's NovaGuard safety systems are vital to reducing the risk of life-threatening needlestick injuries and play a key role in keeping both healthcare workers and patients safe."
West's most established safety product is the eris™ system, also used for staked-needle prefilled syringes. Over 1.3 billion eris systems have been used to date to help protect healthcare workers, patients and caregivers from the risk of a needlestick injury.
The range of solutions also includes NovaGuard LP (Luer-lock Passive), a passive safety system for Luer Lock syringes that features a plastic shield that surrounds the needle before injection, leaving only the needle tip exposed for injection site orientation. West has previously received 510k clearance for the NovaGuard LP system.
West has built a robust portfolio of technologies within the drug delivery market and is developing additional prefilled syringe safety systems.
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