Cutaneous administration system

Details Cutaneous administration system Cutaneous administration system

2001-09-28

2004-04-20

Lo, Weilun (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means for introducing or removing material from body for...

Treating material applied to or removed from external...

C424S449000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06723077

ABSTRACT:

INTRODUCTION
This invention relates generally to the administration of compositions (such as pharmaceutical compositions) for cutaneous administration, including transdermal absorption through the skin. In particular, this invention combines the previously unrelated technologies of pharmaceutical administration and inkjet technology.
Pharmaceutical compositions provide effective treatments for a variety of illnesses. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles to the administration of therapeutically effective doses of many medications. For example, some drugs (particularly peptide based drugs such as insulin) are partially or totally inactivated following oral ingestion, by the highly acidic environment of the stomach. Another problem is the “first pass” effect, which refers to the partial inactivation of orally ingested drugs in the liver, after they have been absorbed from the gastrointestinal system, but before they have exerted their full therapeutic effect. Even when these problems are overcome, patients often fail to take their medications at the proper prescribed intervals, or for the necessary period of time, to achieve an optimal therapeutic response.
Inhalational and intranasal administration have been used as alternative routes of drug delivery. Inhaled drugs can be absorbed directly through the mucous membranes and epithelium of the respiratory tract, thereby minimizing initial inactivation of bioactive substances by the liver. Inhalational delivery can also provide drugs directly to therapeutic sites of action (such as the lungs or the sinuses). This mode of administration has been particularly effective for the delivery of pulmonary drugs (such as asthma medications) and peptide based drugs (usually via intranasal administration), using metered dose inhalers (MDIs). However, MDIs often require coordinating inspiration with actuation of the MDI, and some patients are not able to master this technique. Moreover, patients still often forget to take the medication at prescribed times, or for the necessary period of time to achieve clinical goals. Other patients inadvertently or inappropriately use medications, leading to hospitalizations, morbidity, and even death.
In an effort to overcome such problems, some drugs are administered by passive cutaneous routes, such as transdermal delivery of drugs from a patch applied to the skin. Examples of drugs that are routinely administered by this route are nitroglycerin, steroid hormones, and some analgesics (such as fentanyl). Transdermal administration avoids initial inactivation of drugs in the gastrointestinal tract, and provides continuous dosages usually over a relatively short period of time (such as a day), without requiring active participation by the patient. Continuous sustained administration provides better bioavailability of the drug, without peaks and troughs, and eliminates the problem of the patient forgetting to take multiple doses of the drug throughout the day. However the patch must be changed regularly, usually each day, to provide a necessary drug concentration in the patch to establish the correct concentration gradient for delivery of the appropriate dose of the drug across the skin.
In addition to transdermal systemic delivery of drugs, topical delivery of drugs to the surface of the skin is also used for treating many skin conditions. For example, antibiotics are topically administered to the skin to treat infection, anesthetics to treat pain, retinoids to treat acne, and minoxidil to treat hair loss. These drugs must be repeatedly applied to the skin to achieve their effect, and much of the dosage may be lost by drainage of liquid from the application site, or being inadvertently wiped away. Moreover, excess drug is usually applied to the skin, which can lead to undesired toxic effects particularly if the drug is absorbed through the skin.
Devices and methods are disclosed herein for improving the cutaneous delivery of drugs, by using inkjet-like applicators for transdermal and other cutaneous delivery of drugs. Kits and systems for administrating drugs in this fashion are also described.


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