Eureka for UK researchers! They have developed the world’ first ibuprofen patch. These pioneers are from the University of Warwick and Medherant, a Warwick spinout company.
According to the December 8, 2015 news release, “the transparent adhesive patch consistently delivers a prolonged high dose of ibuprofen directly through the skin. The team has found a way to incorporate significant amounts of the drug (up to 30% weight) into the polymer matrix that sticks the patch to the patient’s skin with the drug then being delivered at a steady rate over up to 12 hours. This opens the way for the development of a range of novel long-acting over-the-counter pain relief products which can be used to treat common painful conditions like chronic back pain, neuralgia and arthritis without the need to take potentially damaging doses of the drug orally…This novel patch incorporates polymer technology developed by the global adhesive company Bostik and exclusively licensed for transdermal use to Medherant.”
University of Warwick research chemist Professor David Haddleton said, “Many commercial patches surprisingly don’t contain any pain relief agents at all, they simply soothe the body by a warming effect. Our technology now means that we can for the first time produce patches that contain effective doses of active ingredients such as ibuprofen for which no patches currently exist. Also, we can improve the drug loading and stickiness of patches containing other active ingredients to improve patient comfort and outcome.”
“Our transdermal patch technology expands the range of drugs that can be delivered via skin patches and can significantly increase drug loading capabilities, whilst retaining adhesion and being thin and flexible. Thus our patches provide a better experience for patients, enhance safety and deliver increased efficacy, which will lead to economic benefits to the healthcare system.”
“Our first products will be over-the-counter pain relief patches and through partnering we would expect to have the first of those products on the market in around two years. In addition to our pain relief products, our technology also works with drugs in many other therapeutic areas. We can see considerable opportunities in working with pharmaceutical companies to develop innovative products using our next generation transdermal drug-delivery platform.”
Professor Haddleton told OTW, “The benefits are the ability to provide a defined dose and the avoidance of GI problems associated with oral dosage. The most interesting findings to date are the ability to have high loadings of drugs such as ibuprofen, lidocaine and diclofenac which can be applied in targeted areas. Our prototype products have superior loadings and our pressure sensitive adhesive shows really excellent properties for a wide range of therapeutics.”
