The promise of microneedle technologies for drug delivery

Abstract

Microneedle (MN) technologies offer the opportunity to improve patient access and target delivery of drugs and vaccines to specific tissues. When in the form of skin patches, MNs can be administered by personnel with minimal training, or could be self-administered by patients, which can improve access to medication, especially those usually requiring injection. Because MNs are small (usually sub-millimetre), they can be used for precise tissue targeting. MN patches have been extensively studied to administer vaccines and drugs in preclinical work as well as in multiple clinical trials. When formulated with biodegradable polymer, MNs can enable long-acting therapies by slowly releasing drug as the MNs biodegrade. Targeted drug delivery by hollow MNs has resulted in FDA-approved products that are able to inject vaccines to skin-resident immune cells to improve immune response and to target specific parts of the eye (e.g., suprachoroidal space) for increased efficacy and avoidance of side effects in other parts of the eye. Cosmetic products based on MN technologies are already in widespread use, mostly as anti-aging agents. With extensive research coupled with FDA-approved products, MN technology promises to continue is growth in research leading to products that can benefit patients.

Keywords: Long-acting injectable; Microarray patch; Microneedle technology; Skin vaccination; Targeted drug delivery.