REMOVAL OF NEEDLE SHIELDS FROM SYRINGES AND AUTOMATIC INJECTION DEVICES

Exemplary embodiments provide a needle shield remover (200) that reliably engages with a distal cap (204) of an automatic injection device and with one or more needle shields coupled to a syringe (202) of the device. When a user removes the distal cap (204), the needle shield remover (200) reliably removes the needle shields (e.g., a soft needle shield and a rigid needle shield) from the syringe (202), thereby exposing the injection needle for performing an injection. In an exemplary assembly method, a needle shield remover (200) is engaged to a needle shield coupled to a syringe (202), prior to insertion of the syringe (202) and needle shield remover assembly into a housing of the device. This exemplary assembly method allows visual inspection, outside the housing of the device, to ensure that the needle shield remover (200) is correctly and reliably engaged to the needle shield before the syringe (202) and needle shield remover assembly is inserted into the housing. (Fig. 5A)