As India’s healthcare ecosystem shifts toward more patient-centric and minimally invasive care, the way treatments are delivered is coming under sharper focus. In therapies that require repeated interventions, patient comfort and adherence are emerging as critical determinants of outcomes. Against this backdrop, in this exclusive conversation, Sarvesh Mutha, Managing Director of IntegriMedical, shares with Dr. Asawari Savant, of Elets News Network (ENN), how innovations like needle-free drug delivery are prompting important conversations around reimagining the patient experience. Edited excerpts 

What was the original vision behind bringing India’s first Needle-Free Injection System (N-FIS) to market, and what patient needs were you most focused on solving?

The vision behind India’s first Needle-Free Injection System, N-FIS™ arose from a simple yet persistent gap in healthcare: the painful patient experience of injectable therapies has remained largely unchanged for decades. Conventional injections, though effective, often come with pain, fear, anxiety, and the psychological burden of repeated needle use, all of which can directly affect a patient’s willingness to continue treatment. 

At IntegriMedical, the focus was to reimagine drug delivery itself, not the medicine. Our needle-free device, called N-FIS™ was developed as a clinically reliable system that eliminates the needle while maintaining precision and therapeutic efficacy. This need is especially significant for patients on long-term therapies that require repeated injections like children Vaccination, as well as women undergoing fertility treatments. In these groups, discomfort and fear can become real barriers to adherence. From the outset, the larger vision has been to make healthcare safer, virtually painless, and less intimidating, turning drug delivery from a source of stress into a more seamless and humane part of the treatment journey.

India is seeing a broader shift toward patient-centric and minimally invasive healthcare solutions. How do you view the evolution of drug delivery technologies within this larger transformation?

We are seeing a positive shift, today healthcare is no longer just about what works, but how it works for the patient and the system.

Drug delivery is now being shaped by two parallel shifts, rising expectations around patient-centric care, and increasing pressure on healthcare systems to operate efficiently at scale. In therapies like fertility and chronic disease management, continuity of treatment is critical, yet often difficult to sustain. This is pushing innovation toward delivery systems that are less invasive and easier to administer.

At the same time, adoption depends on how smoothly these technologies fit into clinical environments. Solutions that require minimal change to existing protocols are far more likely to scale. The evolution, therefore, is not just about innovation, but about deployability in real-world settings.

IntegriMedical’s technology has already seen strong adoption in pediatric care. What key learnings from this journey are now shaping its expansion into IVF, gynecology, and other therapy areas?

Pediatric care offered an early and important validation for us.  A key learning has been the direct link between patient comfort and treatment adherence. In pediatric vaccination programs, we saw significant improvement in cooperation and willingness to stay on prescribed treatment schedules.

That learning becomes even more relevant in fertility care. IVF cycles often involve a high number of hormone injections over a short period, making the process physically and emotionally demanding. Here, even small improvements in how therapy is administered can significantly change the overall treatment experience. This insight is now informing our approach across other therapy areas such as growth hormones, GLP-1 treatments, and pain management, particularly where therapies are frequent and sustained over time.

What larger shifts do you see in the way healthcare providers are rethinking treatment delivery, especially in therapy areas that require repeated patient intervention?

Healthcare providers are increasingly viewing treatment delivery as a continuous care journey rather than a series of isolated procedures.

In areas such as fertility care, vaccination, and chronic disease management, there is a growing focus on reducing the cumulative burden of repeated interventions. This includes both physical discomfort and emotional fatigue associated with long treatment cycles.

At the same time, there is a clear push toward improving efficiency in high-volume clinical settings. Providers are prioritising solutions that integrate into existing workflows without disruption, enabling better patient experience without compromising operational scale.

In this context, solutions like needle-free delivery are becoming increasingly relevant, as they simplify administration and improve the overall treatment experience without requiring changes to existing drug formulations or clinical workflows. This makes it easier for healthcare providers to adopt such innovations at scale, while aligning with the broader shift toward more efficient and patient-friendly care models.

As India’s healthcare market expands across urban and emerging cities, how important is it for clinicians and hospitals to adopt technologies that improve patient experience?

As India’s healthcare market expands across metros as well as emerging cities, the focus is steadily shifting from access alone to the overall quality and consistency of care delivery. In this context, the adoption is becoming critical not just to enhance patient experience, but also to enable more efficient treatment pathways, improved drug usage, and better clinical outcomes supported by advanced diagnostics.

What this looks like in practice is quite telling. For instance, a 9-year-old girl with severe needle anxiety was recently brought in for vaccination, visibly distressed and unwilling to proceed. With a needle-free option, the process was completed within seconds, and she barely realised it had been administered. Experiences like these highlight how the right approach can make care less intimidating and more accessible.

For clinicians and hospitals, solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows while supporting scale across diverse settings will be key to delivering more efficient, consistent, and patient-friendly care.

Looking ahead, what is your broader vision for IntegriMedical and the future of needle-free drug delivery in India?

Our vision is to redefine the experience of injectable therapies across India’s healthcare system. What started with strong adoption in pediatric care and early momentum in IVF is now steadily moving toward broader clinical acceptance. With our growing presence across these segments and collaborative efforts with leading pharmaceutical companies, we are already seeing needle-free delivery transition from a niche innovation to a more mainstream consideration in treatment protocols.

Partnerships play a key role in this shift. Our collaboration with Intas Pharmaceuticals is enabling scale in women’s health, while the strategic investment from Serum Institute of India reflects strong confidence in both the technology and its long-term potential.

As adoption expands, the ability of N-FIS™ to integrate seamlessly without changes to drug formulations or manufacturing workflows positions it well for scale. Over time, we see needle-free delivery becoming a standard option across therapies that rely on repeated injections.

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How important do you see strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical companies, such as your recent partnership with Intas Pharmaceuticals, in accelerating the adoption of needle-free drug delivery for IVF in India?

Collaborations with pharmaceutical companies are critical in accelerating adoption, especially in sensitive and high-growth areas like fertility care. Our recent partnership with Intas Pharmaceuticals is a strong example of how device innovation and pharma leadership can come together to address an important patient need at scale. 

While Intas brings strong expertise and presence in women’s health and IVF, IntegriMedical provides clinically validated needle-free delivery technology designed for repeat-dose therapies.

Together, this enables N-FIS™ to scale across 700–1,000 IVF/ART clinics and hospitals across India. As IVF treatment often requires multiple hormone injections over several weeks, making this process less painful and stressful can help patients remain more comfortable, confident, and committed throughout their treatment journey.

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