Pfizer Animal Health (Zoetis) issued Simcro with a demanding brief, to create a genuine two-stage safety injector that minimised the risk of self-injection by the user, administered the product at a precise depth to ensure efficacy, and satisfied animal welfare criteria.
Several concepts were trialled, the patented double over-centre hinge concept was developed which is the genius within Sekurus. This concept gave birth to the safety injector that Pfizer had been looking for and allowed the further development of the patented self-tenting needle guard. Together these innovations have created the ability to perform one-handed subcutaneous injections, completely satisfying the original challenge presented by Pfizer.
The design of the Sekurus has several additional benefits:
- The protective needle guard ensures the risk of self-injection is minimised, even when Sekurus is not in use.
- The two-stage action specific to Sekurus ensures that administration of the pharmaceutical will not occur until the needle reaches maximum penetration depth.
- The potential for needle breakage during operation is significantly reduced maintaining a high level of food chain integrity.
- Administering a one-handed subcutaneous injection is far easier and less hazardous for the operator than two-handed techniques, particularly in confined spaces such as cattle crush.
- One-handed injection techniques are much less invasive of an animal’s space, particularly in the head region, reducing stress and animal discomfort.
- The needle guard makes needle changeover a much safer and faster task, reducing the risk of needle-stick injuries.
- Increased administration speed by proficient users of Sekurus.
The Sekurus has won numerous design awards for its innovative design and proven accuracy. It reflects Simcro’s commitment to the principles of animal welfare, operator safety, treatment efficacy, user experience and commercial viability.