WINNERSH, England, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced the receipt of a large pandemic order from the U.K. government for 65 million needles and syringes to be delivered by mid-September 2020 to support the U.K. vaccination effort for COVID-19. The first shipments of the injection devices arrived in the U.K. on June 18 and provide the first element of the government's COVID-19 and flu response plan.

Mike Fairbourn, vice president and general manager of BD – U.K. and Ireland said, "With a 60-year history in vaccine delivery, BD is committed to producing 65 million high-quality vaccine injection devices to support the U.K. in planning for a COVID-19 vaccination campaign. BD applauds the U.K. government for its forward-thinking and coordinated approach in planning for future COVID-19 needs. This device selection will help ensure the maximum number of U.K. citizens get inoculated in the fastest possible timeframe. We thank the government for its partnership, and we look forward to continuing to work with all levels of government in the U.K., as we partner together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and support the re-setting of the National Health Service as core health care work resumes."

Recognising the need to prepare early, the U.K. is among the first governments in the world to secure vaccine injection devices in support of a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign. BD continues to advise governments around the world that the time to act on injection devices is now to prepare for when a COVID-19 vaccine has been approved and is widely available. While many annual vaccines come ready-to-deliver in prefilled syringes, due to the rapid ramp up in production and speed necessary to deploy the COVID-19 vaccination quickly, the new vaccine is anticipated to be made available initially in single or multidose vials, which require the use of separate needles and syringes to draw the vaccine from the vial and administer it to patients.

BD is the largest manufacturer of injection devices in the world, producing billions of syringes and needles annually through its global manufacturing network. This commitment is the latest effort in the company's multifaceted global response to this virus. In addition to ramping up manufacturing of needles and syringes, BD has been working closely with the National Health Service (NHS) and other government agencies to expand access to diagnostic testing and support treatment of COVID-19 patients. Through June, the company has supplied health care providers globally with approximately 48 million swabs for flu and COVID-19 testing, more than 2.85 million COVID-19 rapid molecular diagnostic tests on the BD MAX™ System and millions of products used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, including infusion pumps, infusion sets and catheters. BD Biosciences instruments are also being used by researchers around the world to better understand the human immune response to COVID-19.

About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 65,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com.