Ibuprofen patch for local anesthesia

In collaboration with employees of Medherant, researchers at the University of Warwick (Coventry, UK) have developed and patented the world's first ibuprofen patch, which provides long-term targeted delivery of this popular drug while maintaining a stable dosage.

The transparent adhesive patch created by scientists allows delivering a high dose of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug ibuprofen through the skin at a constant speed for 12 hours. This is achieved by introducing a large amount (up to 30% of the weight) of the drug into a polymer matrix that ensures the attachment of the patch to the skin.

This innovative technology opens up new opportunities for the creation of new over-the-counter products designed for local anesthesia for conditions such as chronic back pain, neuralgia and arthritis. The use of such patches will eliminate the need for oral administration of potentially toxic doses of the drug. Despite the fact that there are currently several ibuprofen-containing gels on the market, they are inconvenient to use and do not allow you to accurately observe the required dosage of the active substance.

Professor David Haddleton from the University of Warwick, who took part in the work, notes that, oddly enough, many of the commercially available painkillers do not contain analgesics at all, they only relieve pain due to the warming effect. The new technology, on the contrary, will allow the production of patches containing effective doses of active ingredients, such as ibuprofen, for which there are currently no similar dosage forms.

The developers hope that the first versions of the new analgesic patches will appear on the market within 2 years. They also note that the possibilities of the new technology are not limited to the delivery of ibuprofen. So, promising results have already been obtained for the anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug methyl salicylate, used as part of ointments for rubbing, gels and patches. Currently, researchers are looking for opportunities to test the technology they have developed with other over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Warwick: Researchers create the World's first ibuprofen patch - delivering pain relief directly through skin.