ApiJect announced in July 2024 that a peer reviewed study comparing the environmental footprint of the company’s prefilled injection device to traditional glass syringe options found a “substantial difference” in favour of the Prefilled Injector. The study identified and measured every step in the production and distribution processes of different injection devices to quantify environmental footprint and CO 2 release. In all categories of resource use and environmental impact, ApiJect’s device outperformed the other devices.
Highlights from the study
The study finds that ApiJect’s Prefilled Injector results in 38g of CO 2 –eq per dose. This compares with:
- Single-Dose Glass Vial: ~125% higher per dose
- Luer-type Prefilled Syringes: ~100% higher per dose
- Multi-Dose Vial and Staked-type Prefilled Syringes: 65%-75% higher per dose.
In measuring water use for manufacturing, cleaning, and sterilisation, the study suggests that a typical single-dose glass vial requires over 100 times more water than the Prefilled ApiJect Injector. Across the 10 impact categories in the TRACI (Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and other environmental Impacts) 2.2 method, the Prefilled ApiJect Injector has the “lowest environmental impact”.
Dr Matthew Eckelman, report co-author, believes that the findings “should be of great interest to anyone who cares about the environmental impact of medicines”. He reflects that “health care and its supply chains are important contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
“The report shows that the carbon footprints of traditional glass-based injectable medicines fill-finish options are approximately 65% to 125% higher than ApiJect’s innovative platform, and they require more energy, materials, and water.”
Co-author Dr Robert Litan also comments that the reduction of greenhouse gases “is a business imperative” for today.
“This report shows that yesterday’s technologies and manufacturing processes won’t get it done. By measuring the environmental impact of each step in product manufacturing and distribution, we are able to quantify to a high degree of specificity the levels of greenhouse gases reductions achieved by a new innovative injection device compared to traditional injection products.”
Sustainable immunity
CEO of HIPRA Human Health, Carlos Montañés, shares that “reducing the carbon footprint and the environmental impact of our products are priorities for HIPRA”. The ApiJect project “attracted our attention” for its innovation and potential to improve logistics and global access to vaccines.
“This study’s findings show that in addition to the benefits to the supply chain, ApiJect’s devices also provide a significant advantage by reducing the environmental footprint. Therefore, with the combination of our vaccines, such as our recombinant protein vaccine against COVID-19, and ApiJect technology, we could be providing immunity for a healthier world in a more sustainable way.”
ApiJect’s co-founder and the inventor of the Auto-Disabled Syringe, Marc Koska, shares that “for some time we have intuitively believed that the ApiJect device was far more environmentally friendly” than traditional options. However, this study offers “data-driven results” that show “far greater advantages than we ever assumed”.
“Their findings are not marginal differences. Just as the Auto-Disabled Syringe has prevented syringe reuse and saved countless lives around the world, the ApiJect device’s lower emissions will contribute to a more environmentally healthy planet.”
Jay Walker, ApiJect co-founder, highlights that the ApiJect injection platform was built to “deliver an affordable prefilled option for most, if not all, injectional medicines”. It is supported by a “high-volume manufacturing process and compact supply chain”.
“The Eckelman-Litan study shows that our most important contribution to global health may be our impact on the environment. As we file for regulatory approval for our initial device in the coming months, expand our manufacturing capacity here in the US, and partner with a growing list of pharmaceutical companies to launch regulatory reviews of their drugs in our device, we will begin to see environmental impacts.”
To learn more from ApiJect about the potential offered by their innovative approach, why not join us at the Congress in Barcelona this October? Don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletters here.
