Impulse Biomedical, a company founded by two alumni of University of Cape Town’s Medical Devices Lab, have developed a reusable auto-injector that accepts epinephrine cartridge refills.
“The cost of the pen is $80 and we are testing to make it last up to five years,” said Gokul Nair, one of the partners. Epinephrine refill cartridges are estimated to eventually cost $16 each.
This is in sharp contrast to EpiPen, the market leader, which lists for $600 per pair, has a shelf life of 12 to 18 months, and can be used only once after which it must be replaced.
“When we originally did research into the cost of the devices on the market, we found that delays in the distribution chain can mean South Africans only receive their devices with six months before expiry, which made it unaffordable for South Africans,” said Nair, who originally designed the device for his master’s project at the Division of Asthma and Allergy at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.
The ZiBi Pen, which placed 2nd at the Design of Medical Devices Conference in April, features a customizable needle length that can be adjusted depending on the weight, age, and build of the patient.
Nair and his partner are seeking $480,000 in funding to commercialize the product.
We at SnackSafely.com welcome new entrants into the epinephrine auto-injector market in the hope that it will foster competition, increase supply, drive down prices, and provide consumers more choices. We are hopeful Impulse raises sufficient capital to commercialize the product world-wide.
Click here to view the Zibi Pen product brochure:
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