While pills and injectable treatments are still commonplace, transdermal patches are becoming more widely used, and tend to be preferred by patients and prescribers alike. There are many reasons for that preference, but generally speaking, the top ten advantages of transdermal patches include the following:
- Reduced Side Effects
- No Needles
- Faster Results
- Controlled and Steady Delivery
- Improved Compliance
- Improved Therapeutic Bioavailability
- Less Invasive
- Easy Application
- No Chewing or Swallowing
- Lower Risk of Abuse, Addiction or Accidental Overdose
Let’s explore each of these in more detail.
Reduced Side Effects
Pills must pass through the digestive system, including the liver. Therefore, medications delivered through a pill can often upset the stomach, and affect the liver’s function and long-term health. For example, Tylenol, which is a very popular, effective, and safe drug in general, has been known to adversely affect the liver when taken over long periods of time.
Transdermal patches, however, bypass the entire digestive system, and instead, deliver valuable medicines and nutrients through the skin and into the bloodstream. Because the digestive system is not involved in drug delivery or absorption, many common side effects are greatly reduced, or even eliminated entirely.
No Needles
Many very important medications and vaccines are delivered via hypodermic needles, which are uncomfortable for patients, impractical, and dangerous in many parts of the world. Needle reuse spreads disease, yet it is estimated that 6.7 billion injections are given in the developing world with reused equipment. Transdermal patches can often deliver the same or similar treatments without the use of needles. In the future, microneedle patches will likely replace many common injections, including vaccines, insulin, and more.
Faster Results
Because transdermal patches are delivered through the skin and into the bloodstream, active ingredients can begin to be absorbed within a few minutes. Therefore, many pain management treatments are now delivered in transdermal patch form, where the same drugs that are commonly found in pills can bring much faster relief.
Controlled and Steady Delivery
Unlike pills or injectables, transdermal patches can also be designed to deliver a drug at a specific, sustained rate, for up to seven days.
Improved Compliance
It’s easy to forget whether or not you’ve taken a pill. But patches are easier to track. Combine that clear benefit with improved effectiveness, fewer side effects, and ease of use, it’s perhaps not surprising that transdermal patches are associated with higher rates of compliance.
Improved Bioavailability
Bioavailability indicates how much of a particular active ingredient can reach its intended destination without degrading. Again, because transdermal patches bypass the digestive system, including the intestine and liver, active ingredients are better able to reach their targets intact. Higher bioavailability generally translates into better effectiveness and less waste for drug manufacturers.
Less Invasive
In general, transdermal patches do not have to break the skin to deliver important medications. While many people in the pharmaceutical industry consider transdermal patches to be non-invasive, certain types of transdermal patches, called microneedle patches, do pierce the skin. However, the actual needles are so small they don’t cause the pain that hypodermic needles often do. Tapemark’s proprietary microneedle patch, MicroDerm, is clean, safe, and effective, and can deliver vaccines, insulin, proteins, peptides, and other biologics.
Easy Application
It’s far easier to apply a patch than it is to self-administer a shot. Users can simply adhere the patch to an area of the body that is free of wounds or irritation. Depending on the patch and the targeted treatment area, it can be placed on any clean, hairless area of the skin that doesn’t need to accommodate a lot of movement. Commonly recommended areas include the chest, back, stomach, or upper arm. However, Tapemark’s proprietary IontoPatch can be used to treat areas like elbows, knees, wrists, and more.
No Chewing or Swallowing
For many patients suffering from Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders, chewing and swallowing present an additional challenge that can reduce compliance. Transdermal patches do not have to be chewed or swallowed, and thus can provide much-needed therapies, including therapies designed to support these very functions. However, taking a larger pill might require access to drinking water, which can present a barrier to patient compliance, even if chewing and swallowing functions are not impeded.
Lower Risk of Abuse, Addiction, or Accidental Overdose
While it isn’t impossible, it’s very hard to abuse drugs that are delivered via a transdermal patch. And like other topical medications, transdermal patches have a lower risk of addiction. Finally, since a specific dose of the drug is already included in the patch, the risk of accidental overdose is virtually eliminated.
Disadvantages of Transdermal Patches
While transdermal patches typically cause fewer side effects than pills or injectables, sometimes patches can irritate the skin, either because of the adhesive or the medication contained. Additionally, not all drugs are suitable to be delivered transdermally. However, Tapemark’s proprietary designs allow a wider variety of active ingredients to be delivered via patch, presenting a tremendous opportunity for drug developers.
Partnering with Tapemark
Tapemark is a full-service Contract Development and Manufacturing Company (CDMO) specializing in the innovation of transdermal, oral thin film, and unit dose semi-solid drug delivery. CDMOs like Tapemark can take on some or all aspects of drug development and manufacturing, and can reduce friction throughout the process, allowing pharmaceutical companies to devote more resources to strategy and growth.
