A growing national and global need exists for an alternative to the standard, exposed, single-use Intramuscular injection device. The advent of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), combined with the increasing incidence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection, now present health-care workers with an occupational hazard unprecedented in modern medicine. Presently, safety devices available are expensive to manufacture, require two hands to operate and involve additional procedures after the injection is administered. The innovative, injection technology of InjectiMed, Inc., presents an achievable solution in the design, manufacturing and disposal arenas of medical safety devices. The new device automatically recaps and locks over the needle upon withdrawal from the injection site. No device is use today comprises this single-hand use and automatic recapping capability so urgently needed. Three stages of approach are documented in this proposal. Our goal is feasibility research on plastic injection molding processes to meet established specifications, performance data requirements and future large scale, low cost production. The proposed program is viable and comprehensively addresses design/situation/manufacturing criteria as well as protection of health-care workers, patients and environmental concerns.
