Becton Dickinson to Acquire Safety Syringes

Becton Dickinson and Co. (BD) is padding its syringes and needles product portfolio with the purchase of Carlsbad, Calif. company Safety Syringes Inc. Safety Syringes specializes in the development of anti-needlestick devices for prefilled syringes. The acquisition is set to be completed by the end of BD’s fiscal year 2012 in September, but the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. BD does not expect it to have any significant effect on projected performance for the year.

The acquisition would enable BD to provide passive safety offerings to any prefillable syringe customer. Safety Syringes’ passive needle shields and guards for prefilled syringes currently support more than 20 drugs on the market.

“This pending acquisition is well aligned to BD’s strategy of applying technology and clinical knowledge to make healthcare more effective, efficient and safe. Developments for parenteral drug delivery systems continue to be a part of BD’s long-term strategy,” said William A. Kozy, BD executive vice president. “This acquisition is intended to provide our BD Medical – Pharmaceutical Systems unit with additional safety features for prefillable syringes, helping to protect against accidental needlesticks by providing safer injections for healthcare workers and end users.”

Safety Syringes makes the UltraSafe Passive line of products, which are designed to provide a drug delivery system with a safety guard that passively (automatically) locks into place, delivering easy-to-use injury protection and safety.

“We believe BD’s prefillable syringe expertise, combined with Safety Syringes’ product portfolio and device development expertise, will enable new and innovative safety technology development to prepare the next generation of safety-engineered prefillable syringes,” said Claude Dartiguelongue, president, of BD’s Medical – Pharmaceutical Systems unit.

Becton Dickinson is headquartered in Franklin Lakes, N.J., and operates three divisions: Medical, Diagnostics and BioSciences.