Activation and retraction mechanism for lancing devices

An activation/retraction mechanism for a lancing device comprising:

• a pusher arranged in a housing of the lancing device and configured for translational movement within the housing;
• a first biasing member arranged to displace the pusher distally within the housing;
• a lancet holder arranged in the housing and comprising a lancet for penetrating skin of a subject;
• and a second biasing member arranged to displace the lancet holder proximally within the housing;
• wherein the lancet holder and the pusher are arranged in the housing in such a way that a distal end of the pusher engages a proximal end of the lancet holder to push the lancet holder from an initial position in a distal direction when the first biasing member displaces the pusher distally, wherein the distal end of the pusher and the proximal end of the lancet holder are arranged to disengage from each other when the pusher has been displaced distally a predetermined length from its initial position, wherein the first biasing member is arranged to maintain the pusher in a distal position after disengagement from the lancet holder, wherein the second biasing member is configured to cause movement of the lancet holder toward the initial position after disengagement from the pusher, wherein the activation/retraction mechanism is configured so that, after disengagement of the pusher from the lancet holder, the pusher is in the distal position, in which the distal end of the pusher is positioned distally of the proximal end of the lancet holder, and wherein an engagement surface of the proximal end of the lancet holder is perpendicular to a displacement direction of the lancet holder.