Jet Injector

Injections without needles? It may sound too good to be true, but PATH and our commercial partners are bringing “jet injection” to developing-country immunization programs, where the technology will make it safer for kids to get their shots.

Jet injectors use pressure rather than needles to deliver vaccine as a fine stream of fluid that passes through the skin and into the tissue. New and improved over older models that had some drawbacks, today’s jet injectors overcome many of the risks associated with injections in low-resource settings.

Jet injectors hit the immunization scene in the 1960s and were used to give millions of injections over about a 20-year period; they helped eradicate smallpox. Unfortunately, they fell out of favor with public health officials in the 1980s, after they were suspected of spreading hepatitis. The need for a needle-free technology remained.

The problem was that older injectors administered multiple doses of vaccine from a single vial. New injectors use disposable syringes—each containing a single dose of vaccine—that prevent the transmission of infection from one person to the next.

PATH has worked with several jet injector companies over the years to advance “second-generation” jet injectors. Designed for use in developing-country clinics or large immunization campaigns, these jet injectors are hand-wound or spring-powered, generating a high pressure stream so that the vaccine penetrates the skin. Going forward, we will collaborate with several companies to further evaluate designs and conduct clinical testing. At the same time, we’re compiling evidence that demonstrates the jet injector will be cost-effective and practical in the developing-country context—and for the long term. We’re also developing strategies for introducing the injectors, once they become available, into developing-country immunization programs.

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