Product Release
Sekurus^TM Bottle Mount

World-first vaccination gun cuts risk of self-injection

New Zealand farmers and vets will be the first in the world to benefit from Simcro’s  revolutionary new safety injector, Sekurus TM, which allows operators to administer one handed subcutaneous injections, keeping their hands clear of the injection site.

 “The Sekurus injector has a radically different design. It features a patented ‘self-tenting’ needle guard and two-step mechanism that allows the operator to tent the animal’s skin and deliver the vaccine in a one-handed action.  This means the other hand can be kept away from the injection site virtually eliminating the risk of accidental self-injection,” explains Simcro director and manager of research and development Rod Walker.

Traditionally, operators have to use one hand to hold the injector while grasping a fold of the animal’s skin with the other hand to prepare or ‘tent’ it for the injection. Every year farmers and vets suffer needle-stick or self-injection injuries as a consequence of having their hand close to the injection site.

“All the operator has to do is activate the trigger and press the Sekurus injector against the animal’s skin. The injector automatically ‘tents’ or grips the animal’s skin prior to it delivering  the injection. It’s simple and safe. We believe this is a world-first for vaccination technology and it opens up huge market opportunities for Simcro,” comments Walker.

“This level of operator safety has simply not been available until now and is particularly significant when treating large animals in difficuilt situations.  The action of Sekurus also ensures the injection is delivered quicker, more precisely and with less stress to the animal.  With Sekurus now available we believe the benefits of increased operator safety and animal welfare has raised the bar for what farmers will expect,” he adds.

Hamilton-based Simcro specialises in providing customised and innovative animal health delivery solutions to the pharmaceutical industry.

The Sekurus ‘self-tenting’ injector will be launched in New Zealand in February in conjunction with a new vaccine, BoprivaTM from Pfizer Animal Health. 

Bopriva is Pfizer’s unique new vaccine for the temporary reduction of testosterone in bulls, which reduces aggressive and sexual behaviours, making bulls more easily manageable in larger mob sizes with reduced pasture damage. 

Pfizer product manager Wayne Clough says his company felt it was particularly important to find a vaccinator with safety features to deliver Bopriva.

“In New Zealand this vaccine will be used in bulls so we don’t want people accidentally injecting themselves with it. Simcro have come up with a very innovative solution.  The gun has been tried and tested extensively on farms in New Zealand and overseas and the results are excellent,” comments Clough.

Clough says that operators quickly get the feel of the new injector and they find it a very simple and quick way to vaccinate bulls.

“This is an all-round New Zealand world-first innovation that will have applications in overseas markets as well,” says Clough.

“By being able to keep their hands away from the injection site, operators can avoid needle-stick injuries and injecting themselves, plus other possible injuries that could come from being so close to a large and boisterous bull.  Farmers and vets in the future will wonder how we managed to vaccinate bulls before the ‘self-tenting’ injector,” adds Rod Walker.

Simcro Scores Top International Design Award

Simcro has continued its winning streak by adding a coveted International Forum (IF) 2010 product design award from Germany to its collection this week.

The Hamilton-based design manufacturing company won its award in the Industry/Skilled Trades category for its revolutionary Optiline TM Drencher which was developed for the new sheep drench ZOLVIX® (monepantel) from Novartis Animal Health. 

The IF Design Awards are held annually and are one of three leading design awards in the world. Their significance is recognised throughout the design world and beyond. 

More than 20 internationally-recognised jurors, consisting of designers and entrepreneurs, select the winning products from a total of 2486 entries from 39 different countries. This year 778 products gained IF product awards. The IF awards have been running since 1953 and are seen as an enduring accolade for outstanding design.

Simcro’s win at the IF product awards means it is in the running for a gold IF award given to the best 50 products and announced next March at the start of the 2010 IF Exhibition in Hanover, Germany. The exhibition is expected to attract around 250,000 international visitors. Simcro’s winning product will be on display at the exhibition. It will also be shown on the IF website, which is one of the most popular design platforms on the Web. Plus, Optiline will be featured in the IF product design award yearbook 2010, which has a worldwide circulation of 5000 copies.

“This is a hugely prestigious award, especially as we were competing against the best the world has to offer.  We believe we are at the cutting edge of innovative design for animal health delivery products and this win supports that belief.  I congratulate and thank everyone who has been involved in the development of this product,” comments Simcro managing director Will Rouse.

Simcro specialises in providing customised animal health delivery solutions to the pharmaceutical industry.

In 2006, Novartis Animal Health, Switzerland, challenged Simcro and several of their global competitors to supply a revolutionary new sheep drenching system to launch a new drench, ZOLVIX. Simcro rose to the challenge with the development of the Optiline sheep drench gun.

The company challenged the design of the traditional pistol-grip style drench gun, which had not changed from its basic form in 30 years.

The inherent design flaw of the pistol-grip gun is that the drench nozzle points away from the operator, requiring them to rotate their hand through 180 degrees to administer the drench into the sheep’s mouth. 

The resulting incompatible bio-mechanics create significant operator fatigue and discomfort, and with sustained use, injury to the wrist, forearm and back.

The Optiline drench gun overcomes these problems by having the drench nozzle protruding from the base of the operator’s hand, allowing for a natural presentation of the drench gun with precise control, thus greatly minimising stress to the operator and animal.

Simcro currently has approximately 40 projects under development for the leading global animal health companies.

In June 2009, Simcro was a finalist in the New Zealand Agritech Innovation Awards with its Optiline drencher. In August, company director Rod Walker won the prestigious Bayer Innovators Award for design and engineering. And in September, the company was a finalist in three categories of the 2009 New Zealand Trade and Enterprise International Business Awards. 

In October, Simcro won a bronze award in the 2009 NZ BEST design awards for Optiline.

The Optiline drench gun is just one example of the Simcro range of animal health delivery products.

Simcro’s international partners include Novartis Animal Health Inc., Pfizer, Schering-Plough Intervet, Merial, Ancare, and Argenta.

Simcro Director wins 2009 Bayer Innovators Award for Design and Engineering

Simcro executive director, Rod Walker was awarded the 2009 Bayer Innovators Award for Design and Engineering at a ceremony in Auckland this week.

Hamilton-based Simcro is a design manufacturing company that specialises in providing customised animal health delivery solutions to the pharmaceutical industry.

“I am extremely pleased and honoured to receive this award. I work with a highly skilled and talented team of designers and engineers, and clients who have the confidence that Simcro can deliver highly innovative products,” comments Mr Walker who is head of research and development at Simcro.

The 2009 Bayer Innovators Award recognises the importance of the modern innovator in five categories: Science and Health; Design and Engineering; Agriculture and the Environment; Research and Development and Information Technology and Communications.

The award judges said of Mr Walker that: “This winner has developed a unique, innovative delivery system that makes you wonder how we managed with the traditional method for so long. The innovation has revolutionised sheep drenching for farmers. His invention was developed specifically as a result of his own agricultural experience on his family farm, and in direct response to a request from Novartis.”

In 2006, Novartis Animal Health, Switzerland, challenged Simcro and several of their global competitors to supply a revolutionary new sheep drenching system to launch a new drench, ZOLVIX ® (monepantel). Simcro rose to the challenge with the development of the OptilineTM drench gun.

Mr Walker challenged the design of the traditional pistol-grip style drench gun, which had not changed from its basic form in 30 years.

The inherent design flaw of the pistol-grip gun is that the drench nozzle points away from the operator, requiring them to rotate their hand through 180 degrees to administer the drench into the sheep’s mouth.

The resulting incompatible bio-mechanics create significant operator fatigue and discomfort, and with sustained use, injury to the wrist, forearm and back.

The Optiline^TM drench gun overcomes these problems by having the drench nozzle protruding from the base of the operator’s hand, allowing for a natural presentation of the drench gun with precise control, thus greatly minimising stress to the operator and animal.

A professional engineer, Mr Walker has more than 20 years’ experience in engineering design, product commissioning, project management and commercialisation of new products in the animal health, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. The Optiline^TM drench gun is just one example of Mr Walker’s work from the Simcro range of products.

Simcro’s international partners include Novartis Animal Health Inc, Pfizer, Schering-Plough Intervet, Merial, Ancare, and Argenta.

The company currently exports over 90 percent of its products to more than 65 countries.

Simcro reaches finals in 2009 New Zealand International Business Awards

Simcro, a leading animal health delivery solutions provider, is a finalist in three categories in this year’s New Zealand International Business Awards announced today.

The Hamilton-based company is a finalist in the following categories: best business operating internationally - $10 million to $50 million; best use of design in international business and best commercialisation of intellectual property in international business.

Simcro, which started in business in 1993, specialises in highly customised designs which focus on user experience and innovation.

“We believe our continued innovation and partnerships with major multi-national pharmaceutical groups have taken us into the finals of these awards,” comments Simcro chair, John Dennehy.

Simcro’s international partners include Pfizer, Novartis Animal Health Inc, Schering-Plough Intervet, Merial, Ancare, and Argenta.

“This high level partnership and international context has taken us out of our comfort zones and driven us to world-leading innovation,” says Mr Dennehy.

For example, the company recently developed the unique Optiline TM sheep drencher, in conjunction with Novartis Animal Health Inc, Switzerland. The company took a completely fresh approach to drench delivery. Optiline’s ergonomic and revolutionary design with an angled, downward-pointing nozzle and rounded mouth guard is easy to use and is better for the welfare of both the user and the animal.

Mr Dennehy says the company currently exports over 90 percent of its products to more than 65 countries.

Climate change is another factor working in Simcro’s favour.

“Animal health is becoming a more critical issue as the temperate zones and associated animal diseases spread, compromising important food sources,” explains Mr Dennehy.

As a result, he says Simcro has an expanding product pipeline in a market where the economic cycles of the product are long.

“We have become a trusted collaborator on complex and highly confidential projects and have worked with intellectual property issues at international levels,” he adds.

“We are delighted to be a finalist in these prestigious awards as they provide a good benchmark for us,” he concludes.