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Marathon Pharmaceuticals Launches Needle-Free Lidocaine Injection System

September 10, 2014

Marathon Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday it has begun rolling out its needle-free, helium-powered ZiNGO powder intradermal injection system to children’s and community hospitals, following FDA approval for use in children ages three to 18. The drug-device combo was approved for adults in 2007.

The single-use, hand-held device delivers a 0.5 mg dose of powdered lidocaine into the skin, numbing the site in one to three minutes. The product is used prior to administering an IV cannulation — one of the most painful procedures for children, the company said.

William Zempsky, head of pain and palliative medicine at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and leader of the ZiNGO pediatric clinical trials, lauded the system as “the first easy-to-administer, fast-acting topical local anesthetic” for children, saying it could lead to a “paradigm shift” in the approach to pediatric venous access procedures. He noted that common local anesthetics can take 30 to 60 minutes to work. — Kellen Owings

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