BARDA awards contract to Smiths Medical for safety needles, syringes

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced a deal to work with Smiths Medical to expand the domestic manufacturing capacity for safety needles and syringes.

BARDA, along with the DoD’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), entered into a Technology Investment Agreement with a medical device manufacturer.

With this effort to increase the ability to produce safety needles and syringes in the U.S., the federal government can reduce the country’s dependence on other nations to provide these potentially lifesaving supplies. 

This agreement will allow Smiths Medical to produce additional needles and syringes for use in administering COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to supplies for any future pandemics. The U.S. government’s private industry partners will be given priority to purchase these syringes and needles to administer COVID-19 medical countermeasures, including vaccines.

This award is part of BARDA’s COVID-19 medical countermeasure portfolio.

Smiths Medical, based in the U.S. in Dublin, Ohio, is a leading supplier of specialized medical devices and equipment for global markets. The company, with offices around the world, focuses on the medication delivery, vital care, and safety devices market segments. It is a subsidiary of Smiths Group, a global leader in applying advanced technologies for markets in threat and contraband detection, energy, medical devices, communications, and engineered components. Smiths Group employs approximately 23,000 people in more than 50 countries.