Our technology offers a well-defined and tangible solution to the issues dogging the delivery of opioid based transdermal pain relief or other pain relief drugs. We are currently developing a Fentanyl Patch.

WHY FENTANYL?

• Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain medication with a rapid onset and short duration of action. It is 50-100 times more potent than its natural counterpart, Morphine and mimics its pharmacological effects.
• It is suitable for a wide range of pain conditions, penetrates very well through the skin and has been used in transdermal patches. Duragesic®, a transdermal fentanyl patch, has a proven application in human and veterinary medicine.
• Use and Abuse: Since their introduction, the improper use of fentanyl patches has resulted in several issues related to addiction, abuse, accidental overdosing, exposure to children and unsafe disposal. For example, death from fentanyl overdose was declared a public health crisis in Canada in September 2015, and it continues to be a significant public health issue in many countries around the globe. In Australia, the NSW Pharmacy Guild states “serious concern” given the risks associated with the abuse and misuse of fentanyl patches, such as the injection of fentanyl extracted from the patches. These risks include overdose and death. As a result, stringent restrictions have limited the prescriptions, leading to lowering of fentanyl patch sales by~ 20% since their introduction into the market.
• According to IMS Health, the annual market sales for the fentanyl patch were approximately US $560 million for the 12 months ending 31 December 2016.

OUR SOLUTION

To allow a constant steady rate of drug release, high loadings are required in the current patches. Even with improved designs, up to 60% of the dose is residual in the patch at the time of disposal. Further, the rate of drug release through the skin is affected by the temperature, increasing at higher temperatures, thus increasing the risk of overdosing.

Our nanocomposite patch technology offers an all-encompassing solution to issues that currently limit the appropriate medicinal use of fentanyl and other such pain relief agents:

• Potential for reduction of the drug loading by several folds and minimal left-over in the used patch. We expect that more than 90-95% of the drug will be delivered, thus significantly reducing the risks associated with improper disposal, illegal use, accidental exposure of children/non-users or accidental overdose.
• Biodegradable patch will be automatically destroyed after use this would alleviate disposal, drug abuse and accidental overdosing issues.
• The danger of unintentional fentanyl release/dosing due to temperature rise (e.g. fever) would be minimized as silica-encased fentanyl will be protected against temperature fluctuations during application and storage of the patch.