Medical Device Link.

Originally Published PMPN May 2003

NEWS

Jenevieve Blair Polin

Several major pharmaceutical houses have committed to Comar’s two-piece oral dispenser, while others are in various stages of the approval process. Those who have committed to the product expect to have it on the market within six months. Comar debuted this device in 2002 (see “Taking the Sting Out of Oral-Dose Syringes,” PMP July 2002, p. 48). Now with large-capacity tools and high-speed equipment, says CEO Henry Tamagni, “we have enough capacity to serve not only the pharmaceutical markets, but other markets such as dental, topical, and veterinarian, from which we have received significant interest.

 To meet anticipated demand, we have initiated a stocking program to provide immediate shipment.” One pharmaceutical firm is making this switch for its pediatric OTC and Rx lines, and expects to have these products on store shelves by the fall.

Available in 3-, 5-, and 10-ml sizes, Comar’s two-piece oral dispenser fills a niche for these customers, Tamagni says, because of its improved dosage accuracy. Many pharmaceutical products have changed in formulation from a thin liquid to a more viscous suspension. “When they went to suspension products, their current delivery systems were not able to provide the accurate dosage they were looking for,” Tamagni says. Comar’s oral dispenser is available with a press-in bottle adapter, so the barrel never goes inside the bottle. This design prevents adherence of the product to the outside of the barrel, resulting in more-accurate dosing.

Manufacturers have tried modifying a standard three-piece syringe, but this approach proved unsatisfactory, Tamagni relates. “For injectables, they use it one time,” he points out, “But for these products, they may use it 30 or 40 times.” Comar therefore developed a unique two-piece patent pending design, with no rubber parts, that even after repeated washings requires low force to operate.

Comar is also supplying these dispensers to a contract packager who is prefilling them with a pharmaceutical product. This customer had found that the product was incompatible with a standard 3-piece syringe, Tamagni says, “because the rubber pulls the preservative out of the product.” This customer currently has several thousand samples in stability testing and also expects to launch commercially within the next year.

Copyright ©2003 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News