Equidyne to Participate In CDC-Sponsored Test of
Needle-Free Injectors for Vaccinations
SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--April 22, 2002--Equidyne Corp. (AMEX: IJX - news)
announced today that it is working with D'Antonio Consultants International Inc. (DCI), a
product development company located in Syracuse, N.Y., to conduct a clinical trial of
needle-free injection systems pursuant to a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
contract DCI was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC is seeking to develop safe, high-speed vaccination devices which are suitable for
mass immunization campaigns, including measles control and eradication efforts. The specific
objectives of DCI's contract with the CDC are to design, build, test at the bench, then in
animals and finally in humans, a high-speed, needle-free injector device (and associated
accessories) for mass immunization campaigns which could use conventional, off-the-shelf
formulations of vaccines, such as measles (MEA) or measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
combination vaccines.
``The disposable INJEX ampule is very similar to the one we have developed for our high
speed injector, and has the advantage of already being in production,'' said Linda D'Antonio,
vice-president of marketing for DCI and co-investigator on the project. ``We are pleased
Equidyne has agreed to participate in this trial so we can learn more about their ampule
performance and explore avenues for possible future cooperation.''
In testing being conducted at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical
University in Syracuse, N.Y., DCI will inject experimental animals to assess dose penetration
and dispersion. Followup studies will determine how DCI's high-speed injectors compare to
conventional needles and syringes in administering vaccine.
No U.S.-licensed, high-speed vaccination devices of unquestioned safety are currently
available, because of concern for traditional ``jet guns'' which vaccinate consecutive patients
from the same nozzle, according to Bruce G. Weniger, MD, assistant chief for Vaccine
Development at CDC's National Immunization Program, which oversees the contract with
DCI. ``We welcome this collaboration between Equidyne and DCI to research and develop
new high-workload jet injectors using disposable-cartridge technology that avoids reuse of
components having contact with the patient,'' said Dr. Weniger. The CDC contract specifies
the new device should be high-speed by delivering 1 injection every 6 seconds and thus allowing for the rapid vaccination by
limited manpower of many individuals in a short period of time. The device should also demonstrate vaccine efficacy and a
tolerable safety profile in terms of pain, local tissue reactions, and other adverse effects, and should produce no ``sharps'' waste
requiring special handling for safe disposal.
``We are pleased to be working together with the CDC, DCI and the staff at SUNY Upstate Medical University in this
important clinical study,'' commented Dr. James Gavin III, chairman of Equidyne Corp. ``This study may not only assist in
efforts to control measles and other childhood diseases, but may also point the way for better methods to deliver other
vaccinations and medications for anthrax, smallpox and plague in the event of bio-terrorism.''
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