Phillips-Medisize, a Molex company and leader in drug delivery, diagnostic and MedTech devices, has unveiled the Aria Smart Autoinjector platform to unlock innovation, differentiation and sustainability in the digital drug-delivery device market. This latest advancement introduces a small and simple, smart injection device featuring a reusable electronic drive unit and single-use, disposable cassettes to elevate patient care while reducing environmental impact. 
 
“With the Aria Smart Autoinjector, we are disrupting this sector with a game-changing platform that brings the right functionality to market in the right form factor at the right time,” said Kevin Deane, vice president of Innovation at Phillips-Medisize. “Our goal from the outset has been to develop an injector that patients love, combining the simplicity of current disposable devices with the superior performance, sustainability and connectivity possible through an electronic, reusable device.”  

According to an April 2021 survey commissioned by Molex and Phillips-Medisize on “Digital Health and the Future of Pharma,” digitized drug delivery is on the rise. More than half of pharmaceutical professionals polled expect digital drug delivery to improve patient outcomes for many types of drug treatments. Nearly everyone reported adoption challenges, however, with usability and sustainability among the obstacles reported most frequently by participants from companies currently marketing one or more therapies. 
 
Extending Patient Experience and Ease of Use 
Phillips-Medisize developed the Aria Smart Autoinjector with the compact size and “look and feel” of existing disposable autoinjectors in mind. Straightforward operation is aided by sound and light signals that indicate dose progress and completion. Simple sleeve-triggered activation and needle safety features also are provided. 
 
Key findings from a recent Phillips-Medisize user study reinforce Aria’s ease of use, as 100 percent of experienced and novice users successfully completed self-injection without training. Moreover, no users lifted the device too early during the injection while unanimously confirming the importance of sustainability.  
 
Reducing Environmental Impact 
The autoinjector addresses growing sustainability requirements. Early lifecycle assessments conducted by Phillips-Medisize indicate that the storage required, and the waste generated by disposable autoinjectors can be significantly reduced by adopting a more environmentally friendly approach. Aria’s reusable drive and disposable cassette help pharmaceutical companies meet growing sustainability mandates while addressing patient preferences for a greener drug delivery device. 
 
Connecting Real-Time Patient Data 
Built-in Bluetooth and optional RFID connectivity ensure seamless data sharing of time-stamped dosing logs with smartphones, tablets and mobile healthcare apps. The result improves patient engagement, supports improved medication adherence and disease management. Aria easily connects with Phillips-Medisize’s companion mobile app and other third-party mobile apps. 
 
Providing Customized, Differentiated Performance  
Aria enables pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the introduction of more sustainable, convenient and affordable smart autoinjectors for a broad range of drug therapies. The autoinjector can accommodate both 1ml and 2.25ml syringes in a common cassette. Additionally, a wide range of drug viscosities can be delivered by the platform. Compared to a spring-based system, Aria ensures gentle engagement with syringe/stopper. Delivery force varies to maintain a constant speed throughout the injection process, which reduces the risk of syringe damage while allowing the injection to be optimized for a range of drug properties.   The three-year life of Aria’s drive unit offers a comparable cost-per-injection to current devices.  
 
The Aria Smart Autoinjector platform is available in a basic model with a simple user interface for standard injection sequences and an advanced model with a screen-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) to offer more user interaction for complex injections. Phillips-Medisize is collaborating with pharma customers to run comparative user studies and feasibility assessments, as well as full development programs for combination products. The device can support drug portfolios of innovator companies as well as for biosimilars and generics, where an attractive cost-per-injection is a critical consideration.