Shares of Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE:BDX) gained this week after the medical device company said the FDA cleared its Intelliport medication management system.
Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD touted the Intelliport as a 1st-of-its-kind device for manual IV bolus injection. The device is designed for real-time drug identification, dose checking and allergy detection at the point of injection; it then wirelessly updates the patient’s electronic health record with documentation of the drug administration.
BD said it expects to have the Intelliport system on the market this spring. BDX shares have gained 3.2% since the Jan. 7 announcement, trading at $144.95 apiece in early afternoon action for a 1.0% decline on the day.
The Intelliport is also aimed at lowering what BD called the leading causes of medication errors in the operating room, including syringe swap and dosing errors.
“As medication errors remain a primary concern with healthcare providers today, the FDA’s clearance of the Intelliport system offers a significant step forward in enhancing patient safety, while also improving workflow efficiencies," BD Medical president William Tozzi said in prepared remarks. "BD has always supported healthcare providers in their efforts to exceed compliance standards and provide quality patient care and the Intelliport system is yet another example of how we bring that commitment to life."
"We’ve been watching the development of this technology with anticipation," added Dr. Warren Sandberg of Nashville’s Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "We think it has potential to both improve patient care by improving medication safety and at the same time smoothing documentation workflow."
