BECTON DICKINSON (BD) has received an order from the UK Government for 65 million needles and syringes to support the country’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The order is expected to be completed by mid-September.
While many vaccines are delivered in prefilled syringes, the COVID-19 vaccine is likely to come in single or multidose vials, creating the need for separate needles and syringes in order to administer the vaccine to patients.
The devices ordered by the UK – the BD Flu+ Syringes – have been developed with minimal waste space to maximise the number of people that can be vaccinated. Vaccines can only be administered with appropriate medical devices or prefilled delivery systems, so dose-sparing devices like BD Flu+ can play a crucial role in expanding available vaccine doses during a pandemic. Additionally, the savings associated with lower vaccine waste are greater than the total cost of dose-sparing injection devices. BD also recently received orders by the US and Canada for injection devices to support their vaccination campaigns, and is supporting the UK’s Flu and Winter Preparedness Programme
