| Health topic | Maternal mortality |
|---|---|
| Classification | Treatment |
| Scope | Commercialized |
| Manufacturer location |
New Jersey, United States |
In the developing world, needles in a medical setting are often reused due to the scarcity of resources. However, reusing old (and possibly contaminated) needles increases the risk of HIV transmission. There was a need for a single-use, safe syringe in order to ensure safe injections.
The Uniject is a single-use needle, designed with a pre-filled drug delivery container that cannot be refilled. This type of needle is effective in preventing "needle sharing" because it can only be used once and provides a sterile injection each time. It is also user-friendly in that medical personnel can be trained to use the Uniject in under two hours (PATH, n.d.). It is compact, convenient, easy to store and increases dosage precision.
This device was tested in Argentina (Althabe, 2011), Angola (Strand, 2005), Indonesia ("Cost", 2003) and Vietnam ("Oxytocin", 2003).
This device has received funding from USAID, BD and UNICEF.
Althabe, F., Mazzoni, A., Cafferata, M. L., Gibbons, L., Karolinski, A., Armbruster, D., et al.(2011). Using Uniject to increase the use of prophylactic oxytocin for management of the third stage of labor in Latin America. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 114, 184-189.
Strand, R. T., Silva, F. D., Jangsten, E., & Bergstrom, S. (2005). Postpartum hemorrhage: a prospective, comparative study in Angola using a new disposable device for oxytocin administration. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 84, 260-265.
Tsu, V. D., Levin, C., Tran, M. P., Huang, M. V., & Luu, H. T. (2009). Cost-effectiveness analysis of active management of third-stage labour in Vietnam. Health Policy and Planning, 24, 438-444.
Tsu, V., Sutanto, A., Vaidya, K., Coffey, P., & Widjaya, A. (2003). Oxytocin in prefilled Uniject injection devices for managing third-stage labor in Indonesia. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 83, 103-111.
PATH: Uniject. (n.d.). PATH: A catalyst for global health. Retrieved October 21, 2012. Link available here.
UniJect. (n.d.). BD. Retrieved October 21, 2012. PDF available here.
| Authors | Lonny Grafman, Chris Waterguy, Emilio, Kathleen Sienko, Amir Sabet Sarvestani |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Organizations | Appropedia Foundation, University of Michigan |
| Cite as | Evashiu (2012–2026). "Global Health Medical Device Compendium/Uniject". Appropedia. Retrieved September 30, 2026. |