Owen Mumford Ltd

Owen Mumford Ltd is a British medical device manufacturer headquartered in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Founded in 1952 by Ivan Owen and John Mumford, the company began as a small workshop producing anaesthesia equipment and precision tooling before evolving into a global specialist in drug delivery systems and diabetes care devices. Its early innovations included the Oxford Inflating Bellows and the Macintosh laryngoscope, but it was the 1978 launch of the Autolet — the world's first automatic lancing device — that established Owen Mumford as a pioneer in self-administered healthcare. Over the following decades, Owen Mumford expanded its portfolio to include sterile lancets under the Unilet brand, the Accupen (described as the world's first insulin pen), the Autoject plastic autoinjector, and safety lancets such as Unistik 3. The company also became a trusted OEM partner for major pharmaceutical and diagnostic firms, supplying custom injection devices and combination products. Its own-brand devices and custom solutions are used by healthcare professionals and patients worldwide. In 2026, Owen Mumford was acquired by embecta, a global diabetes care company. The acquisition united two organisations with a combined 170+ years of experience, creating a stronger, more capable group with an expanded portfolio of clinically relevant products. Owen Mumford continues to operate as part of embecta, maintaining its heritage, values and pioneering spirit while benefiting from embecta's global scale. The company invests significantly in research and development, collaborating with healthcare professionals, patients and academic institutions to address unmet healthcare needs. Its mission is to improve quality of life for people with chronic conditions through innovative medical device solutions.

Owen Mumford was founded in 1952 by Ivan Owen and John Mumford, who met while completing apprenticeships in Oxfordshire. They started the business in a small garage belonging to Ivan's father, Tom Owen, initially producing medical technical devices. Their first product was an improved version of the Macintosh laryngoscope. In 1958, the company purchased a former glove factory on Oxford Street in Woodstock and converted it into its new headquarters. The product line expanded to include the Oxford Inflating Bellows, the Radcliffe humidifier and other anaesthesia accessories. The company also manufactured aluminium moulds for the domestic plastics injection moulding industry, making it an important supplier of casting moulds to the British automotive industry. In March 1978, Owen Mumford introduced the Autolet, the world's first automatic lancing device, allowing diabetics to draw capillary blood themselves. This led to enormous demand for sterile lancets. In 1982, the company entered the medical consumables market, manufacturing sterile lancets under the Unilet brand. In the late 1990s, it produced the Accupen, described as the world's first insulin pen. During the 1990s, revenues continued to rise, and with new follow-up products such as the Autopen (an insulin dosing system) and Unistik 3 safety lancets, OEM contracts were signed with internationally active pharmaceutical and diagnostics manufacturers. In 1992, mould production was discontinued and a new production facility was built in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, which was expanded again in May 2007. In December 2009, the company signed a three-year supply agreement with Sanofi Aventis for the reusable Autopen 24 insulin pens. Owen Mumford's revenue was estimated at between 100 and 200 million US dollars. According to competitor Ypsomed, Owen Mumford's global market share among diabetes device manufacturers was around 18 percent. The chairman of the company was Mark Owen. The German branch was located in Großostheim-Ringheim, with further branches in France, the USA, Mexico, Malaysia and the People's Republic of China. In 2026, Owen Mumford was acquired by embecta, a global diabetes care company. The acquisition united two organisations with a combined 170+ years of experience, creating a stronger, highly capable organisation with an expanded portfolio of clinically relevant products and complementary capabilities. Owen Mumford continues to operate as part of embecta, maintaining its heritage, values and pioneering spirit while benefiting from embecta's global scale and shared purpose.

• 2026

  Acquired by embecta.

• 2009

  Signed three-year supply agreement with Sanofi Aventis for Autopen 24.

• 2007

  Expanded Chipping Norton production facility.

• 1992

  Discontinued mould production; built new facility in Chipping Norton.

• 1990

  Introduced Accupen, described as the world's first insulin pen.

• 1982

  Entered medical consumables market with Unilet sterile lancets.

• 1978

  Launched Autolet, the world's first automatic lancing device.

• 1958

  Purchased a former glove factory in Woodstock as new headquarters.

• 1953

  Began manufacturing the Oxford Inflating Bellows for anaesthesia.

• 1952

  Founded by Ivan Owen and John Mumford in a garage in Oxfordshire.

A global leader in medical device design and manufacturing, specialising in pioneering drug delivery systems and diabetes care devices for its own brands and custom solutions for major pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies.

• Autolet

  World's first automatic lancing device, launched 1978.

• Unilet

  Sterile lancets brand introduced in 1982.

• Accupen

  Described as the world's first insulin pen, introduced in the late 1990s.

• Autoject

  World's first plastic autoinjector.

• Autopen

  Insulin dosing system; Autopen 24 was subject to a 2009 supply agreement with Sanofi Aventis.

• Unistik 3

  Safety lancets.

• Aidaptus

  Subcutaneous autoinjector platform; exclusively manufactured by Stevanato Group.

• EcoSafe

  Safety syringe and companion autoinjector platform.

1. 1Medical Device Manufacturer | Owen Mumfordowenmumford.com
2. 2About Us | Explore Our History, Expertise & Mission | Owen Mumfordowenmumford.com
3. 3Our story | Owen Mumfordowenmumford.com
4. 4Drug Delivery Systems | Pharma Services | Owen Mumfordowenmumford.com
5. 5OWEN MUMFORD LTDwikidata.org
6. 6Owen Mumfordde.wikipedia.org