Sandstone’s Easydrip Plus debuts in Uzbekistan: Can mid-tier pen needles raise diabetes care standards?

Sandstone Medical, a diabetes care sub-brand of SteriLance Medical, has officially launched its Easydrip™ Plus pen needles in Uzbekistan. The move brings a new mid-tier entrant to a market historically split between expensive international diabetes injection products and inconsistent low-cost alternatives. Sandstone’s entry aims to redefine the patient experience in daily injections through design-driven quality and regulatory-grade manufacturing.

The Easydrip Plus launch marks a new chapter in Uzbekistan’s patient-access landscape, especially for people living with diabetes who rely on self-injection regimens. As of 2024, the country reported over 550,000 registered diabetes cases, with a significant number of patients depending on insulin pens and other self-administered injectable medications.

By combining a user-friendly design with ISO and CE certifications, Sandstone Medical is targeting hospitals, pharmacies, and direct-to-consumer channels to build trust in an underserved segment.

What features of the Easydrip Plus pen needles are designed to improve comfort and usability for patients?

The Easydrip Plus line stands out for its practical enhancements, most notably its large-platform hub, which provides a steadier grip and enhanced control during injection. The product also incorporates a thin-wall, multi-faceted, polished needle tip engineered to minimize insertion force. According to Sandstone, this translates into a gentler and more comfortable injection experience, potentially reducing patient anxiety and improving adherence to treatment regimens.

The pen needles are available in various gauges and lengths to accommodate a wide range of user needs. They are fully compatible with most widely used insulin pens in the market and are designed for single use. Notably, the packaging includes intuitive usage instructions, making it easier for patients and caregivers to administer injections safely at home or in clinical environments.

Unlike many low-cost alternatives on the market, Easydrip Plus pen needles are manufactured under SteriLance Medical’s ISO 13485 quality management system and carry CE certification — positioning them closer to premium global brands in terms of regulatory compliance.

How does Sandstone’s launch strategy address the gap between high-end and budget diabetes injection products?

Sandstone Medical’s spokesperson noted that Uzbekistan’s diabetes injection devices market has long lacked accessible, high-quality alternatives. “Our goal is to balance premium experience and accessibility so patients in Uzbekistan achieve safer, more comfortable daily injections,” the company representative stated.

Institutional buyers such as hospitals and national pharmacy chains are being prioritized in the initial distribution phase. The rollout spans major cities with plans to expand to secondary locations through both physical and digital retail channels. Additionally, Sandstone is working with local partners to provide educational materials for healthcare professionals and patient communities.

The strategy notably includes an e-commerce expansion to support broader accessibility, along with influencer-led education initiatives to build patient awareness on proper injection techniques and device handling.

Early market feedback — while anecdotal — suggests a positive reception from clinicians and patients alike. According to Sandstone, feedback so far has emphasized “comfortable handling” and “dependable performance” during use.

What regulatory certifications back the safety and quality claims of the Easydrip Plus needle range?

Sandstone Medical’s Easydrip Plus is manufactured in accordance with ISO 13485, the international standard for quality management systems specific to medical devices. The product is also CE certified, which validates its conformity to EU safety, health, and environmental protection requirements.

This dual-certification framework provides credibility to Sandstone’s claim that Easydrip Plus offers a clinically reliable alternative to more expensive global brands. In emerging markets like Uzbekistan, regulatory credibility is a key differentiator — especially when it comes to injectable devices that require sterility, precision manufacturing, and durability.

For institutional procurement officers, the availability of ISO and CE documentation offers assurance of traceability, consistency, and compliance — attributes that are often missing from generic low-cost alternatives.

What is the parent company SteriLance Medical’s broader footprint in diabetes and medical devices?

Founded in 1993, SteriLance Medical has built a global presence over three decades, holding more than 200 international patents. The company distributes its portfolio of medical devices across 50+ countries, serving sectors such as diabetes care, diagnostic testing, and hospital consumables.

Sandstone Medical is SteriLance’s patient-focused sub-brand dedicated to self-injection comfort and diabetes device innovation. With the launch of Easydrip Plus in Uzbekistan, SteriLance is signaling its intent to expand deeper into Central Asia and other fast-growing emerging markets where medical device infrastructure is undergoing rapid modernization.

SteriLance has historically focused on B2B channels, including hospital procurement and diagnostic labs, but the Sandstone initiative points toward a B2C and hybrid sales strategy emphasizing design innovation and ease-of-use for patients.

The move also comes at a time when demand for advanced injection devices is rising across lower-income and middle-income countries due to the global uptick in diabetes prevalence and the increasing availability of biosimilar insulin formulations.

How is the diabetes care market evolving in Uzbekistan and why is device innovation crucial?

Uzbekistan, like much of Central Asia, has witnessed a steady rise in lifestyle diseases over the last two decades, with diabetes being one of the most significant contributors to chronic morbidity. According to the World Health Organization, the country faces both increasing patient load and limitations in rural medical access.

In this context, injection device innovation can serve as a lever for better patient outcomes. Daily injections for diabetes are often hindered by pain sensitivity, improper technique, and lack of standardized tools — especially in non-urban settings.

Products like Easydrip Plus that combine clinical-grade manufacturing with user-centric design help bridge this systemic gap. The long-term hope is to improve treatment adherence and reduce complications related to poor self-injection practices, such as lipodystrophy and under-dosing.

For policymakers and hospital administrators, this also means fewer complications downstream, thereby easing pressure on secondary and tertiary care systems.

What are the future expansion plans for Sandstone and how will digital outreach play a role?

In addition to its current hospital and pharmacy distribution, Sandstone Medical plans to activate a digital channel network through national e-commerce platforms and telemedicine partners. The company also hinted at using influencer-led campaigns to build awareness in online diabetic communities.

This aligns with a broader trend among medical device companies adopting hybrid commercial models that merge physical supply chains with digital outreach. For Sandstone, this strategy could serve as a blueprint for entering other regional markets with similar healthcare system profiles, such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and parts of the Middle East.

While no specific SKUs or future product variants have been announced, it is expected that the Easydrip Plus range will expand in gauge and length options to cater to pediatric and geriatric subpopulations.

Can Sandstone’s Easydrip Plus redefine mid-market injection devices in Central Asia?

The arrival of Sandstone’s Easydrip Plus pen needles offers a potentially significant inflection point for diabetes care in Uzbekistan. While not aiming to dethrone premium international brands, the product appears well-positioned to address the underserved middle of the market — patients who want a quality experience without incurring steep costs.

From a policy and public health standpoint, the move could support broader efforts toward improving chronic disease management infrastructure in Uzbekistan. For SteriLance Medical, the launch also demonstrates how design-led, certification-backed medical devices can capture niche opportunities in markets undergoing healthcare modernization.

Whether Easydrip Plus evolves into a staple across emerging economies will depend on continued access, education, and localized support — but for now, it has placed Sandstone firmly on the map in Central Asia’s growing medical devices market.