Zogenix, a pharmaceutical company specialising in new application technologies, has reported that the latest cold forming knowledge and expertise from Dawson Shanahan is an essential part in the development of Sumavel DosePro, a needle-free syringe.
Zogenix said that the Sumavel DosePro requires precision manufacturing to work effectively, for which it had chosen to partner with Dawson Shanahan on the project and benefit from their experience in cold forming high quality components.
Zogenix’s product, Sumavel DosePro (sumatriptan injection) system, is a drug-device combination that enables needle-free delivery of subcutaneous sumatriptan for the acute treatment of migraines and cluster headaches. The company has been working with Dawson Shanahan on the development of the product since its inception.
The precision-made components produced by Dawson Shanahan, including an aluminium chamber and steel ram, have been specially engineered to adminster the drug into the user’s body without the need for a needle. As a result, medication can be administered quickly, simply and without anxiety. The success of the design is partly due to the high quality finish and intricate production of the cold formed parts, which make it possible for the adminstration mechanism to work.
Mark Jennings of Dawson Shanahan, said: “Our client had heard of the benefits of cold forming in terms of both quality and manufacturing cost savings and approached us to produce one component of the DosePro device by cold forming. They were so impressed with our innovative solution that they then asked us to make a second component, again to demanding tolerances.
“We began to work closely with Zogenix to enhance the design of the DosePro system and suggested that we could manufacture a number of integral elements of the system in-house and within their budget. With assistance from Simon West at E-Tech, we set to work creating the bespoke machining and tooling needed to manufacture one of the components and together developed and tested the parts until an optimum solution was found.”
Bill Feinstein, director of operations planning and procurement at Zogenix, said: “I believe that the partnership between the two companies has been key to the successful development of DosePro. Throughout the manufacture process, Dawson Shanahan have been extremely collaborative, throwing the necessary resources at challenges to help us find the best solutions. DosePro is a product based on physics and comprises many parts which all have to work exactly the way they are intended and in harmony together.
“Dawson Shanahan have played a vital role in making this possible. We’re extremely excited about launching this truly revolutionary system, and look forward to continuing to work with Dawson Shanahan in the future.”