Italy-based Stevanato Group, a producer of glass primary packaging and provider of integrated capabilities for drug delivery systems, and Bexson Biomedical Inc., a research stage company developing a subcutaneous ketamine treatment platform for pain management and mental health disorders, have signed an agreement. The collaboration will focus on developing a customized version of the SG EZ-be Pod, a wearable drug delivery device, for Bexson’s proprietary ketamine formulation, BB106. 
 
The two companies will work closely together to produce a small, wearable, and programmable device, leveraging Stevanato Group’s broad experience in contract manufacturing and medical device innovation. This technology will pair with Bexson’s ketamine therapy to provide patients with non-opioid treatment for chronic and acute pain types.  
 
Stevanato Group’s device is designed to enable dynamic and convenient subcutaneous delivery for patients, compared to current ketamine infusions that have a high procedural burden and high cost. Ketamine, which blocks a receptor that is fundamental in pain signaling, is already being used by doctors through in-office infusions. Healthcare providers are limited in their ability to send patients home with ketamine, which is where most patients develop opioid dependence.  Bexson’s proprietary formulation, BB106, will allow for steady-state plasma levels, which are currently only achieved by intravenous delivery in the clinic or hospital.
 
“In the midst of a pandemic health crisis and evidence of increasing opioid addiction and overdoses, there has never been a greater need for effective non-opioid pain management. Stevanato Group has the ideal technology to deliver Bexson’s BB106 subcutaneous ketamine formulation,” said Gregg Peterson, Bexson’s co-founder and CEO.  “And beyond pain management, this partnership will create a true ketamine delivery platform that can be leveraged for a large number of future indications.”
 
“We look forward to working with Bexson to ensure that our award-winning SG EZ-be Pod device is ideally suited to the needs of their patients. Now, more than ever, we need to enable patients to take their medications inside the comfort of their homes or while outside performing their daily activities,” commented chief business officer Mauro Stocchi, Stevanato Group. 
 
“This design will support patient comfort with a discreet and intuitive device, and by utilizing our patented technologies, we address the importance of sustainability, while minimizing the overall cost per treatment,” added Steven Kaufman, vice-president of drug delivery systems, Stevanato Group. “This agreement with Bexson is a step forward for our device portfolio strategy and ongoing efforts to work closely with biotech and pharmaceutical companies as an integrated solution provider.”