What's the point of syringes, anyway?
: I hate needles, and -- as much as the "macho" side of my brain hates to hear me say this -- that's why I didn't get a flu shot this year. However, people suffering from chronic diseases, like type 1 diabetes, don't have the luxury of opting out of their treatment. Daily injections are essential to survival, and they can be both painful and inconvenient.

That's where needle-free injectors come in. These devices force medicine through an opening that is only a fraction of a millimeter in diameter, and the resulting stream is actually able to enter the body like it would with a normal syringe. Antares Pharmaceuticals , a long-standing player in this market, has struggled to gain traction in the diabetes space and currently lacks a commercial partner for its insulin delivery device. However, it has licensed its product to Teva Pharmaceuticals for the delivery of human growth hormone and is partnered with Pfizer on an "undisclosed Consumer Healthcare product." The adoption of this technology has been slow to date, but with better models on the way - including a prototype from a MIT lab that can deliver a medicine "at almost the speed of sound" -- it's an exciting technology to keep tabs on.

If this technology doesn't impress you, then take a deep breath. Biotech company MannKind has developed a unique formulation of insulin, which is normally injected, that can be delivered through a small inhaler. The company should complete its phase 3 clinical trials this year for its product, called Afrezza, and if the FDA gives it the green light, it could open the door for drugs that would normally be injected to instead be inhaled.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/02/26/5-disruptive-technologies-leading-the-next-medical/