Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices (HMD), a leading manufacturer of disposable and auto-disable syringes, has launched Dispojekt, an indigenous single-use safety syringe aimed at reducing instances of needle stick injuries. Needle stick injuries pose a risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases, including Hepatitis B, C, and HIV, among healthcare personnel.

HMD is targeting a 60-70% market share in the disposable syringes segment in India over the next three years, estimated to be over 5 billion units per year and 5 to 6 billion needles. The company plans to initially produce 200 million syringes and needles per annum, with an investment of approximately Rs 70 crore in the first phase. The capacity will be further increased to 300 million units per annum in the second phase with an additional investment of Rs 10 to 15 crore.

Sohail Nath, Executive Director of HMD, emphasized that Dispojekt safety needle syringes are designed to be affordable for the developing world, including India, and are nearly half the cost of single-use syringes in the US and Europe. The company has a national distribution network of over 9,500 dealers and more than 60 contractual stock points in key metropolitan, Tier-I, and Tier-II cities to manage inventory and distribution effectively.

Citing a study from the International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, HMD highlighted that the overall prevalence of needle stick injuries in India in 2021 was 20.1%. The prevalence was highest among nurses at 31.3%, followed by technicians at 37.5%, ward boys and other staff at 15%, and sweepers of public and private hospitals at 15.6%.