Research shows that a lack of attention to human factors during product development may lead to errors causing patient injury or even death. For this reason, incorporating human factors into drug-delivery devices is a focal point in the industry — and a key driver for Aptar Pharma’s acquisition of Metaphase Design Group Inc., a company that specializes in ergonomic and hand-intensive product designs and packaging.
Metaphase will be integrated into Noble, an Aptar Pharma company that offers patient onboarding and drug-delivery training devices, such as mechanical and smart autoinjectors, prefilled syringes, and on-body injectors. Aptar acquired Noble International in 2019, furthering its goal of improving patient experiences and health outcomes. Metaphase will also support Noble’s Human Factors Plus (HF+) program, which launched in 2021 and provides product design solutions, human factors testing, risk analysis, and regulatory submission support.
“The combined expertise of Noble and Metaphase in human factors fully aligns with our mission to bring the voice of the patient into all parts of the development process,” says Gael Touya, president of Aptar Pharma.
The acquisition will expand Aptar Pharma’s portfolio of services and allow the company to be a single-source provider to its pharmaceutical and biotech customers throughout their drug development journey.
