Gerresheimer AG announced an investment into US-based Portal Instruments, a developer of a next-generation needle-free drug delivery technology. Together, the partners aim at transforming the administration of injectable medicines and improving the patient's experience, especially for those with chronic diseases. Portal develops technology which allows for needle-free and high-speed subcutaneous injection of medicine and –via connectivity – the adherence monitoring along the treatment journey by patient and medical care provider. Portal Instruments is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has its roots in MIT'sBio Instrumentation Lab. Portal's needle-free injector and cartridge are components of a drug delivery platform for both biologics and biosimilars, completed and made available through biopharma partners. While many auto injectors on the market require patients to hold the needle onto their skin for 10 to 30 seconds, Portal's needle-free device can inject the same volume in less than a second. At the same time, this innovative type of injection helps to reduce painduring the application. And the injector is more than a drug delivery system: Thanks to its connectivity, adherence tracking, and customizable disease management becomes possible for both patient and medical care
provider. Gerresheimer will support the development of the new technology, take part in manufacturing the reusable injector and supply cartridges containing the medicine.