Revolutionary patch could offer alternative to flu injections
pharmafile | June 28, 2017 | News story | Research and Development |Â Â flu, flu vaccine, patch deliveryÂ
A patch developed by a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology alongside Emory University has found that it is an effective alternative to needle-and-syringe immunisation. The patch has tiny needles that painlessly deliver the flu vaccine into the skin.
The new delivery method could lead to wholly new way of receiving and distributing the vaccine. The correct application of the patch is so simple that participants in a study were able to self-administer with exactly the same efficacy as when the procedure was carried out by a health professional.
In addition, the patch remains stable up to 40°C, meaning that it could be delivered by post to those requiring vaccination. Once the dose is delivered over the course of 20 minutes, the patch can then be thrown away meaning a more convenient means of disposal.
In a Phase 1 study, with 100 participants, the alternative vaccination was found to be as effective as a vaccination delivered via injection. When queried about methods of delivery, over 70% stated that they would prefer to be treated by patch administration for future vaccinations – though researchers noted that there was a slight bias against needle vaccination in the group.
Immune response was checked six months after the trial and found that those receiving the patch administration still exhibited a strong immune response and none had developed flu during intervening period.
In terms of side effects, no serious adverse reactions were observed and only mild, local irritation was observed, lasting two or three days. 48 out of 50 participants also stated that the delivery did not hurt.
“The skin is an immune surveillance organ,” Mark Prausnitz, Regents Professor at the George Institute of Technology, who worked on the study, said. “It’s our interface with the outside world, so it’s very well equipped to detect a pathogen and mount an immune response against it.”
The next step will be to scale up participation in clinical trials to determine whether the product is capable of commercial use. Should it receive approval, the cost of the device would be much lower in comparison injection vaccination. This is because although manufacturing costs are similar to flu injections, the ability to self-administer means that no healthcare professionals would need to be present.
Ben Hargreaves
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