Scientists have created the world’s first Ibuprofen patch that delivers pain relief through the skin at a consistent dose and exactly where it is needed. The patch could revolutionise the way a variety of medication, and not just painkillers, are administered in future healthcare.
A good pain killer can do wonders whenever you find yourself in trouble healthwise, especially for relieving pain. Ibuprofen has been one of the most popular pain killers ever since it hit the market and to date the easiest way of taking the pain reliever has been in the form of tablets and capsules, sometimes in combination with another drug to ensure effective results.
Things are about to change as researchers at the University of Warwick have come up with an easier and more effective way of delivering Ibuprofen in your body.
The new patch will deliver a consistent dose of the drug in the exact spot where a patient needs it for a more targeted and effective treatment. The patch is applied easily on the skin and it takes just a few minutes for the drug, in this case the popular painkiller ibuprofen, to get absorbed and start working.
The researchers at University of Warwick developed the new patch with the help of a transdermal drug delivery company Medherant, which specialises in novel patch-based products in the medical field.
The company is a spinout of the University of Warwick and the patch was developed for use in the treatment of common conditions such as back pain, arthritis, or just about any chronic pain which needs a large dose of Ibuprofen to relieve excessive pain.
The new ibuprofen patch technology overcomes a large number of problems with existing solutions in the market. It will take another two years before the product is available on the market but when it arrives, it’ll help make lives easier for a lot of patients.
The patch can load a lot more drug than existing patches, and is highly skin friendly. In a prime example of the possibilities of future technology in healthcare, the patch can release the drug consistently right on the exact spot where it is needed, offering a significant dose of the pain relieving drug from just a small-sized patch.
Even though the patch technology isn’t just limited to Ibuprofen, it’ll be one of the several drugs that will be used with the patch. The next stages of development will comprise of a large number of both human and animal testing to ensure it is completely safe to use by patients, before it is available commercially.
The researchers at Medherant and the University of Warwick are also open to working with pharmaceutical companies that may be interested in deploying the patch with their drugs. The enhanced experience for patients combined with high security and efficiency will make the technology highly beneficial to the healthcare industry in the coming years.
The new patch technology will enable the development of better long-lasting over-the-counter pain relieving products that can help people overcome the worst kind of pain caused by chronic illnesses. Currently, oral and gel based intake methods for Ibuprofen limit the dosage and can also cause long-term side effects depending on the intake. Patch based technologies like these will not offer any side effects like those.
The patch is an ingenious idea that is part of the future medical technology transforming our future lives and health care delivery. Hopefully the product is passed for widespread use soon so that it can start benefiting the millions of chronic pain sufferers around the world.
