West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. a provider of innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, has made a strategic investment in Latch Medical, a Dublin-based provider of next-generation vaccine and biologics delivery technology that is pioneering a new approach to intradermal delivery. West will have a minority ownership stake in Latch Medical.
 
“West’s investment in Latch Medical advances our leadership in innovation through a dedicated focus on the needs of patients,” said Robert Segura, Vice President, Corporate Development, West Pharmaceutical Services. “The methods by which medicines are delivered to patients continue to evolve to meet their desire for ease-of-use and effectiveness. Latch Medical’s innovative intradermal-delivery technology fits well into this strategy.”
 
Latch Medical’s Pharma Latch technology offers two delivery device platforms that allow for intradermal delivery of vaccines and biologics with rapid, consistent dosing. The technology anchors securely to the skin and uses either hollow or coated microneedles to deliver and disperse vaccine and biologics payloads. The technology is a low-cost platform that can facilitate higher payloads than microneedle technologies developed in the past. It requires minimal training for clinicians to use.
 
“We have put our extensive experience of skin biomechanics and understanding of the challenges of intradermal delivery into the development of Pharma Latch. It is a novel technology that can replace traditional injections and infusions and look to realize the potential of intradermal delivery,” said Ronan Byrne, CEO, Latch. “With this investment from West, we can rapidly increase the impact of our technology.”