Needle-less injection, why hasn't this been looked at?

[marshalls]

Bioject is a company that has developed needle-less injections for sub-cue and intra-muscular. I have sent emails to Bioject and Biogen asking this very same question with no response. To me this would be a whole lot more convenient for people to give themselves their medication. Then again I am big on common sense.
http://www.bioject.com

[JFH]

Common sense and cost often conflict when insurance co's or the state is footing a bill the old cynic in me says.

I have my first "treatment clinic" next week I'll ask our MS Nurse.

John

EDIT: 6 months later still waiting for an answer from bothe vendor and MS Nurse ! hey-ho

[OneEyeBlind]

Marshalls,

I'll tell you what, the thing looks pretty cool. I wonder how well it works?

I would like to know what kind of response you get back, if any.

[Daunted]

I could have sworn I got a needleless injection when I was in Basic Training for the Army back in the last 1980s.

I wonder why the technology isn't used elsewhere?

(Although that one hurt!)

[texas_jim]

i, too, have needleless injections in the miliatry in the early 1980? chemically some drugs arent suited to that type of system because they are too thick or soem other reason. that has been my understanding.

jim
paramedic with MS

[trumpadoo]

About 20 years ago, I incorporated a needleless injector in my practice. (I believe the trade name of the injector was Madaject.)

I gave the device to a dermatologist friend of mine, as cleaning and resterilization of the device were a bit too time consuming and cumbersome for my office personnel.

I believe the device cost about $250.00 at the time.

While the device may be helpful for a needle phobia, I personally found it more painful when used on myself than a subcutaneous injection with a #30 gauge needle.

Subcutaneous injection pain might be aided with preapplication of Emla (topical lidocaine anesthetic applied under occlusion to the injection site 0.5 -1.0 hours prior to injection). I do not know if the absorbed lidocaine from the patch could interfere with the injectable immunomodulator medication.

Subcutaneous injection pain may also be relieved with icing. I use a chilling spray to the injection site before I inject patients in my office.

If someone else is giving the injection to the patient, it may be helpful for the patient not to watch.

trump

[treez]

My question would be....what are you talking about injecting? Any or all of the CRABS?

I don't know about all of them, I use betaseron. Site reactions are probably one of the most prevalent problems with interferons. That type of injection requires the actual meds to pass through upper skin layers. Needle injections obviously do not.

Perhaps site reactions and necrosis may become to prevalent??

Just a thought

Treez

[trumpadoo]

treez post re: skin necrosis makes a lot of sense to me as I do not see what design of needleless injector could eliminate some deposition of the medication within the skin.

[NHE]

Site reactions are probably one of the most prevalent problems with interferons.

Not with all interferons. I use Avonex which is administered via an IM injection. After a little over four years of using Avonex, the only injection site reaction that I've experienced is that on rare occasions I might get a little bruise which is usually about the size of a dime but has been up to the size of a nickel. To elaborate of the exact frequency of what I mean by "rare occasion", I think that I might get a small bruise about once every 6 months or so. It's certainly not a common occurrence and the bruises are usually gone within a week.

NHE

[marshalls]

Folks,
Just to all I have emailed and called Bioject and Biogen. Bioject says the system is near painless. The reason Biogen has not looked at this is a matter of profit.
I have come to the realization since being diagnosed in June of 2002 the medical community or rather pharmaceutical companies are all about the potential profit.
I know I sound bitter but after dealing with neurologists that refuse to prescribe anything but what is medically approved for MS has turned me in to a somewhat annoyed individual.

[flora68]

Site reactions are probably one of the most prevalent problems with interferons.

Not with all interferons. I use Avonex which is administered via an IM injection. After a little over four years of using Avonex, the only injection site reaction that I've experienced is that on rare occasions I might get a little bruise which is usually about the size of a dime but has been up to the size of a nickel. To elaborate of the exact frequency of what I mean by "rare occasion", I think that I might get a small bruise about once every 6 months or so. It's certainly not a common occurrence and the bruises are usually gone within a week.

NHE

Same here. It's Copaxone that's famous for the outrageous, often permanently damaging site reactions. As a matter of fact, after a year since the last shot, I've still got tender lumps .

[OddDuck]

Hi, there, Marshalls!

I have nothing of substance to add to this conversation, and I apologize for butting in here, but I noticed your post regarding being annoyed, and I felt SO relieved to see that I'm not the only one. And maybe I'm not such a "conspiracy" theorist after all (re all the money motivation associated with MS treatment).

Nice to meet you. Ok..........I'll butt back out.

Be well,

Deb

[marshalls]

Nice to meet you OddDuck (Deb),

I do not post much obviously but am here frequently as this really is one of the few positve places on the web. In addition, people here are extremely supportive of each other!

[treez]

Hello OddDuck..........and all members posting here Annoyed? What are you talking about? How could that be? Such things as Swank Diet, possible antibiotics, Tricyclics, liftstyle changes...........don't all these things have some proof of effectiveness? Don't a few of these have a track record of very effective for some? Even as much as 20 years maybe?

Sure, if there is one thing I've had beaten into my head, it is the unpredictability of MS..............but come on, ALL purely coincidental?

Where is the profit for anyone in any of the above mentioned items. Drugs developed long ago with no patents and as many generics as there are choices of breakfast cereal in the supermarket.

Books that have been around for 15 years

I think Annoyed is the very big understatement.

Add me to the list of Annoyed......put me at the top, although I think I could have some competition up here.

Sarcasm is one of my finer qualities .

Don't take this too seriously all.

Treez

EDIT:

Marshalls, I agree, this whole site is very educational, positive, and everyone here I've ever spoken to is more like a next door neighbor you've known for years.

I'm both way off forum topic, and didn't mean to inflect (is that a word??) negativity.

[Arron]

thanks for the compliments... it means the world to us that this site is considered to be a valuable, warm place to be.