2. ▶ Introduction
▶ Structure of human skin
▶ Components of NFIT
▶ Mechanism of operation
▶ Classification of NFIT
▶ Need of needle free injections
▶ Advantages
▶ Limitations
▶ Brands in market
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Needle-free injection systems are novel ways to introduce various
medicines into patients without piercing the skin with a conventional
needle.
Needle-free injectors use jet pressure to inject the drug rapidly into the
tissue at the correct depth.
The jet is achieved by forcing the drug through a specially designed
nozzle, which is completed in only 300 milliseconds.
There is no puncture when the Jet Pressured Needle free Injection is
used , due to the specially developed nozzle the drug penetrates through
a skin pore and is immediately dispersed into the epidermis, thus
enabling a faster transport to the body.
Needle-free systems was first described by Marshall Lockhart in 1936
in his patent jet injection. In 1940 prof. Higson and his team develop high
pressure guns.
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A force is generated by the Injector Body which contains a spring that drives the drug through an
orifice at a very high speed.
To deliver the drug quickly into the system’s blood circulation an ultrafine stream of fluid penetrates
the skin layer.
The whole process of delivering the injection takes place in less than 1/3 of a second. It occurs in
three stages -
1. Peak pressure phase - It is optimal pressure required for penetrating the skin which lasts about less
than 0.025 sec.
2. Dispersion phase - This phase lasts about 0.2 sec.
3. The drop-off phase - which lasts about less than 0.05 sec.
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The diagram above shows the mechanism of drug delivery of a Needle and a Jet pressured Needle
Free Injection. Diagram on the left shows the needle based delivery where there is a distinct puncture
of the skin surface and the drug after delivery gets trapped for a while without being diffused
immediately.
On the other hand, there is no puncture when the Jet Pressured Needle free Injection is used , due to
the specially developed nozzle the drug penetrates through a skin pore and is immediately dispersed
into the epidermis, thus enabling a faster transport to the body.
A B
8. 1) On the basis of working.
▶ Spring systems.
▶ Laser powered.
▶ Gas propelled/air forced.
3) On the basis of mechanism of drug
delivery.
▶ Nano-patches.
▶ Sandpaper assisted delivery.
▶ Iontophoresis enabled.
2) On the basis of type of load.
▶ Liquid.
▶ Powder.
▶ Depot.
4) On the basis of site of delivery.
▶ Intra dermal injectors.
▶ Intramuscular injectors.
▶ Subcutaneous injectors.
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9. ▶ Spring system
• Quite effective in powdered NFI devices
• energy storage and further transmittance via spring is one of the easiest and
simplest
• Basic issue ,force provided by the spring will reduce in proportion to the distance
over which the load has been applied
• the pressure is gradually decreases throughout the injection.
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10. On the basis of working :
▶ Laser powered
• Developed by Prof Jack Yoh and his team (Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering, Seol National University, South Korea)
• system that blasts microscopic jets of drugs into the skin
• uses an erbium-doped yttrium garnet laser
• laser pulse of a wavelength of about 2940 nm is emitted
• which has a life span of about 250 millionth of a second
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11. On the basis of working :
▶ Gas propelled/air forced.
• Sustained force of generation,
• greater flexibility,
• and the ability to deliver larger volumes
• Gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen & helium are used
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12. ▶ 1. Powder Injections
Drugs delivered reach the circulatory system at a faster rate as compared to those
administered by subcutaneous injection.
The principle of all the devices is the same; i.e. the energy generated by a transient gas jet is
used to accelerate a premeasured dose of particulate drug
▶ 2. Liquid injections
The basic principle of this injection is, if a high enough pressure is generated by a fluid, then
the liquid will punch a hole into the skin and will be delivered into the tissues in and under the
skin
▶ 3. Depot injections
Depot injections are given in the muscle, where they create a depot of a drug that is released
continuously over a specified period of time
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Nano-patches
Nano-patch has a specially designed surface having approximately 20,000 micro-projections per square
centimeter. The size of the patch is about the size of a stamp used in postal services.
Micro-projections hold the drug in extreme minute volume. Due to the presence of a high number of
micro-projections a sufficient volume of drug is delivered.
Drug delivery through nano-patches is done in two ways :
1) Sand paper aided drug delivery 2) Iontophoresis enabled drug delivery
14. ▶ Sandpaper assisted delivery
• A 220 grit “sandpaper” kind of agent is rubbed onto the skin
• Result in micro-derma abrasion
• successful in increasing the skin permeability
• Till now, vaccinations for traveler's diarrhea and influenza have been developed using this
technique (Clinical trials in progress)
▶ Iontophoresis enabled
• Lipophilic nature of skin debars several salts and other molecules from entering the skin
• A small electric current of about 0.5 mA/cm2 is used to force several drug molecules across
the skin
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15. ▶ Intra dermal injectors
• Employed to deliver comparatively newer, DNA-based vaccines
• Delivers the drug at a very shallow depth
▶ Intramuscular injectors
• Drug delivery via this system is the deepest among all
• Most successful for vaccination
▶ Subcutaneous injectors
• Proteins including the human GH have been administered by this system
• Medicament is delivered to the adipose layer just below the skin
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16. ▶ Needle Phobia- 10-15% of the population has a fear of Needles, Which causes
avoidance of treatment which leads to serious issues.
▶ Needlestick injury exposes healthcare workers to over 20 different bloodborne
pathogens.
▶ Insulin- A survey in 2014 revealed that 422 millions (42.2 Crore) people had Type
II Diabetes. Such patients have to be administered with insulin at regular intervals
to keep a check on their blood sugar levels. Needle free Injection Technology thus
comes as a blessing to such people. HIV, Hepatits B, Hepatitis C.
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17. ▶ Painless procedure
▶ Relief to patients who have to be inoculated many times in a day
▶ Efficient use of Vaccine
▶ Pandemic effective
▶ Zero contamination
▶ Better drug diffusion
▶ Zero disposal Hazard
▶ Ideal for developing countries
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18. ▶ High pressure delivery of drugs by the Jet pressured needle free Injection can damage fragile
molecules beneath our skin surface, especially Monoclonal antibodies.
▶ This can be resolved if a specialized device is employed to control the exact pressure of drug
delivery.
▶ Though this problem is faced only by patients who undergo multiple inoculations within a short
period of time thus is not of a major concern for the generally ill patients or patients for vaccination.
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19. ▶ Injex30 (Mfd. By: Injex UK Ltd)
▶ Pharmajet Tropis (Mfd. By: Pharmajet, Inc.)
▶ SDI Injector (Mfd. By: Glide Pharmaceutical Technology)
▶ Biojectorr 2000 (Mfd. By: iHealthNet Ltd)
▶ Vitajet 3 (Mfd. By: Medgadget, LLC)
▶ SeroJet (Mfd. By: Serojet Freight Private Limited)
▶ Medi-Jector VISION (Mfd. By: Antares Pharma, Inc.)
▶ Iject (Mfd. By: Biojet, Inc.)
Special Mention:
RECOJET : Recojet is the Indias first needle-free insulin which comes with Antares
Pharma’s Medi-Jector and is distributed by Mumbai-based Shreya Life Sciences.
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