A Brief History On Transdermal Patches & How They May
Transform The Way We Approach Sleep Wellness
Transdermal or topical skin patches have gained quite a bit of traction in the recent past – as an efficient tool to enhance your health and as an innovative mechanism for drug delivery within the wider healthcare landscape. All you have to do is to stick it on your skin and it will release the drugs or health-boosting nutrients in a controlled manner.
Today, we’ll take a walk through their historical evolution and explore how these tiny stick-on patches made from paper-thin films may write a new chapter for sleep wellness.
How It All Started
We wouldn’t fault you if you believed that transdermal patches are a recent invention or a latest wellness fad that may soon vanish.
Guess what? Transdermal application methodologies have been in existence long before mankind discovered modern medicine and drug delivery mechanisms such as injections and pills. A quick glance at Wikipedia will reveal that we were applying homemade lotions and ointments as early as 3000 BC.
However, it was quite a while before modern medicine took notice and started considering topical patches as a viable drug delivery technology. It was 1979 when Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the nod to Scopolamine – the initial transdermal option to manage motion sickness.
Its First Blockbuster Moment
Transdermal patches first came to mainstream attention as a tool to affect smoking cessation, when in 1984, researchers in UCLA came up with a nicotine patch. Interestingly the researchers used their own bodies to see if the newly developed nicotine patch delivered the intended result and is safe for human use. However, it was 1991 when nicotine patches were made available to the general public.
Are They Any Good?
Absolutely. They have certainly shown promise and have clear advantages.
For example:
- A patient may have to take pills and injectables several times a day and there’s always this risk of missing the dose. Whereas modern transdermal patches can be worn anywhere from 8 hours to a week. Therefore, giving you a “set & forget” option.
- They deliver the drug in a controlled manner therefore allowing the body to actually absorb the nutrients rather than be flooded with them and discard most of the benefit
- Moreover, patches are non-invasive and infinitely more comfortable than getting pricked with a needle or popping foul-tasting pills
- They’re extremely easy to use because you don’t require professional oversight to apply a patch as compared to being administrated an injection from qualified healthcare provider.
- More recently, transdermal patches have emerged as a handy accessory for mental and physical wellbeing. From better sleep quality and post-workout recovery to stress reduction and skin rejuvenation, there are plenty of ways patches may enhance your quality of life.
What The Furfure Holds
The market for transdermal patches
Whether you’re talking about B12 patches, melatonin patches or even delivery systems for manuka honey, transdermal patches are in high demand. Overall, the market for transdermal patches was estimated at around $17.6 billion in 2020. Projections show that growing to around $30.5 billion by 2026.
Many companies are looking at manufacturing sleep and calmness patches to feed a market that needs better sleep solutions.
This is where a tape converting partner can provide significant value. Instead of reinventing the wheel and incurring all the associated costs, a converter can provide tried-and-true methods that speed product development and eliminate headaches in the process.
Converting services for transdermal patches
Transdermal patch development is almost always easier, faster and cheaper when done in partnership with a tape converting services company. That’s because an experienced tape converter that can both formulate custom adhesives for transdermal patches and has the capabilities to die cut and package your patches can assist at nearly every stage of the product development process — from prototyping to packaging.
An experienced converting partner can help you:
Design your transdermal patch
- A knowledgeable converter can help you design a delivery system (i.e., matrix patch or pre-dosed patch) that can deliver the intended therapeutic through the adhesive layer.
- Sizing of the patch and location on the body for the patch are paramount in the success of the product. An experienced tape converter who knows the transdermal and stick-to-skin market is essential for the success of your overall design.
Select the right type of pressure sensitive adhesive
- Ensuring user comfort and avoiding skin damage is always paramount in any stick-to-skin application.
- Adhesives must maintain their hold while managing moisture from sweat, water, oil and other bodily fluids.
- Users also need to able to remove products safely and comfortably.
Ensure consistency in the finished product
- Consumers expect (and regulators demand) a consistent payload or dosage from transdermal patch products.
- Reliable converting processes help ensure each patch delivers a consistent experience.
Choose materials for the carrier and liner layers
- A converter with ties to major suppliers can help you source the premium materials you need to make products that stand out in the marketplace.
- Extended tape liners make products easier to apply for consumers.
- A converter with full packaging resources can be your full turnkey solution to launching and maintaining a consistent supply chain.
Cut materials to the desired shape
- Whether you want squares, ovals or a butterfly shape, a converter with an array of die cutting, slitting and sheeting capabilities can create the ideal shape for your application.
- A trusted partner can also help organize production to cut down on wasted material.
Streamlining product development
Transdermal patch development is a complex process with a lot of hurdles to overcome before you can get products into the hands of your customers. That’s why the best go-to-market approach is often to seek out a converting partner that offers full service private labeling for every aspect of your patch. For example, The Tape Lab can formulate safe stick-to-skin adhesives, laminate materials to create the finished patch, die-cut patches to the appropriate size and even package products for patch manufacturers. This allows us to act as a one-stop shop for all your transdermal patch production needs. Consider partnering with a trusted converter early in the product development process so you can streamline manufacturing and achieve commercial production faster.
Are you looking to develop transdermal patches and expand your business? Contact The Tape Lab and put our knowledge and industry-leading capabilities to work for you.