HUMIRA^®Pen: a novel autoinjection device for subcutaneous injection of the fully human monoclonal antibody adalimumab

Abstract

The HUMIRA (adalimumab) Pen is a novel, integrated, disposable autoinjection delivery system for the subcutaneous injection of adalimumab. Adalimumab is a biological disease modifier for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic debilitating diseases mediated by tumor necrosis factor. Sustaining long-term efficacy with a biological therapy is influenced by patient adherence to the therapeutic regimen, which is often affected by the route of drug administration. Self-administered injectables offer several advantages over intravenous injections (i.e., portability, convenience and flexible scheduling). In particular, patients with chronic, debilitating diseases may need a self-administered medication available in an easy-to-use and convenient delivery device that minimizes pain and facilitates adherence to therapy. The adalimumab Pen offers these benefits and recent evidence indicates that patients overwhelmingly prefer the adalimumab Pen to the prefilled syringe.

Patient Perceptions and Preferences of Two Etanercept Autoinjectors for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Findings from a Patient Survey in Europe

“…However, adherence to the therapeutic regimen has been reported as low (varying from 30 to 80%), with the route of administration being an important factor in treatment adherence [21, 22]. Delivery of Benepali with the autoinjector, which appears to be easily performed by patients with RA, may increase patient tolerance of self-administration, possibly improving adherence, which in turn could significantly improve the effectiveness of drug therapy.…”

Effects of Age, Gender, BMI, and Anatomical Site on Skin Thickness in Children and Adults with Diabetes

“…Clearly, skin thickness is an important factor in the selection of needle length for intradermal or subcutaneous injection, particularly for auto-injector devices (e.g. insulin, adrenaline, and biologic response modifiers [28]). Mathematical modeling of transdermal delivery systems however, seldom include the thickness of the dermis and/or subcutis in their models, generally concentrating only on the barrier role of the stratum corneum [29], [30].…”

Toward a new age of patient centricity? The application of eye-tracking to the development of connected self-injection systems

“…Specifically, the connected selfinjection system is portable and intended for use across chronic disease areas that to date typically rely on mechanical pre-filled syringe-based autoinjectors for drug selfadministration, such as rheumatoid arthritis [e.g. [54][55][56] The four user steps required to perform an injection are depicted in Figure 1. To perform a self-injection with the Figure 1.…”