Hypodermic needle: a thing of the past?

Hypodermic syringes have been hugely effective - but 100 years on it's one of the few bits of medical technology that's fundamentally unchanged.

Keen for an alternative

Doctors are keen for an alternative because of the risk of infection and injury.

Administering drugs without a needle should also reduce the risk of introducing harmful bacteria into the circulation.

The Intraject works in a microsecond. High pressure gas forces the liquid into a tiny jet which pierces the skin and deposits the drug with minimal tissue damage.

Similar devices have been developed before, but this is the first time the technology has been compressed into a cheap disposable form.

The Intraject cannot be used on patients until the clinical trials later this year, but those who have tried it claim it is almost painless.

It is hoped the needle-free injection could replace the syringe for a wide range of treatments including routine vaccinations.

Regular users to benefit

Richard English: endured regular needle injections

Patients who need frequent injections could be the first to benefit.

Hepatiitis C sufferer Richard English had to endure painful injections in the thigh every other day.

He said: "I found it frightening to jab this little piece of cold steel into my leg. If that could be removed it would also remove a little bit of the fear."