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 Scientists at the University of Warwick and spin-off company
Medherant say their TEPI patch could revolutionize the transdermal
drug delivery market.
University of Warwick research chemist Professor David Haddleton
told Reuters that the polymer matrix in the patch acts as a
reservoir for the drug, capable of releasing between five and ten
times the amount of drugs used in gels and patches currently on the
market, for periods of six hours, 12 hours, and even 24 hours.
"What we do is dissolve the active ibuprofen, for example, into the
adhesive so we can have quite a high loading - so up to 30 percent
of the adhesive will be the ibuprofen," said Haddleton. "When that's
placed on the skin just like an elastoplast then the drug will
actually diffuse across the skin into the body at the site of the
pain and then relieve the pain in the same way as current gels and
creams. We're controlling the dosage and we're keeping it there for
a prolonged period of time."
The patches could help treat conditions like chronic back pain,
neuralgia and arthritis without the need to take potentially
damaging doses of the drug orally. The team says that popular
ibuprofen gels make it difficult to control dosage and can be easily
rubbed off.
Although TEPI patch remains highly tacky and adheres well to skin,
it is not uncomfortable to peel off, unlike many traditional
plasters.
According to Andrew Lee, co-founder of Medherant, "we've only been
in the lab about 12 months, but in the 12 months we've essentially
assessed about 90 percent of the drugs that are currently available
as either creams or patches. We've tested them in our polymers with
very good results, we've been able to get increased loadings of
drugs in the polymer and we've shown almost across the board that we
can get a steady release rate of that drug from the polymer as
well."
The team says TEPI patches could go on sale within three years, and
Medherant is working with some large, unnamed, pharmaceutical
companies to get them ready for market.
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Haddleton says the technology has exciting potential for other
medications, such as opioid painkillers. "What's important is to be
able to extend the range of drugs that are available by patches
because at the moment we're limited to about 20 different drugs, and
there are thousands of drugs out there, and only about 20 are used
in patches at the moment, which is limited by the technology of the
adhesive, essentially," he said.
Lee told Reuters that many commercial patches do not contain pain
relief agents at all, and merely sooth the body with a warming
effect. He said Medherant's technology would eliminate most side
effects created by oral medication.
"One of the interesting areas that we plan to explore in partnership
with large companies is actually using our platform technology to
include other drugs that previously maybe haven't been suitable for
topical or transdermal delivery - or drugs which may have not got
through the regulatory filings because, for instance, they might
have caused stomach irritation or other side effects when taken
orally," said Lee.
The TEPI patch incorporates new adhesive technology developed by
global adhesive company Bostik. Lee believes ibuprofen strips could
be useful for sports participants, helping alleviate conditions such
as tendonitis, and repetitive strain injuries. Nutrition companies
have also shown an interest in adapting Medherant's technology for
transmitting minerals and vitamins through the skin.
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