Needle-free delivery has been identified by pharma as a more convenient route of administration that could increase patient compliance and extend a product’s lifespan.
Zealand is the latest company to license a needle-free tech, opting to use Vyteris’ smart patch in preclinical develop of one of its peptide drug candidates.
Haro Hartounian, president and CEO of Vyteris, said: "Needle-free, tightly controlled delivery of peptides via active, transdermal patches is an innovative and patient-friendly route of administration which can lead to increased safety and compliance.
“Our ongoing female infertility project with Ferring Pharmaceuticals has now entered clinical Phase II, and we hope to continue this success in transdermal peptide delivery with our new partner Zealand Pharma."
After Zealand’s preclinical trial is completed the companies have the option to continue the development of the formulation or begin work on other drug candidates.
Custom delivery options
Vyteris claims its smart patch system offers advantages over current techniques in numerous fields, including cardiovascular, diabetes and pain management.
When a positive charge is applied to the patch’s therapeutic-holding reservoir the drug is released and can pass through the skin. This is possible as many drugs are positively charged and are therefore repelled by electrical stimulation, which forces them out of the reservoir and through the skin.
By varying the strength of the electrical charge it is possible to administer the therapeutic to different depths, with stronger stimulation delivering the drug to the circulatory system and a weaker pulse providing topical treatment.
In addition the timing of therapeutic release can be controlled, allowing the patch to mimic an injection, timed interval release and sustained delivery with the option for a spike in dosage if required.