Los parches de microarrays (MAP) son una opción alternativa para la administración intradérmica de vacunas y productos farmacéuticos en desarrollo clínico. Los MAP se aplican a la piel como un vendaje y consisten en una serie de proyecciones a escala de micras (<1 mm de altura) que se acumulan en una placa base.
As bringing long-acting injectables into ongoing HIV care becomes more realistic, researchers are looking to develop a MAP, also known as a microneedle patch, for childbirth. MAPs could be key to providing an automated, discreet delivery system that could provide HIV prevention and contraception to women in low-resource settings.
At IDWeek 2019 , a team of researchers from PATH presented their research on developing a MAP to deliver long-acting cabotegravir (CAB LA) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in conjunction with hormonal contraceptives to evaluate multipurpose prevention technology.
In a last-minute oral summary session, researchers presented preclinical pharmacokinetic results from a 3-year research project funded by the United States Agency for International Development.
The purpose of this research is to develop a self-administered patch (MAP) for CAB LA through phase 1 clinical preparation. The researchers created a target product profile that identified key attributes for the patch. These attributes include a patch size between 20 and 140 cm², similar to commercially available transdermal patches; an ideal wear time of 20 minutes; weekly or monthly administration to achieve therapeutic efficacy; and simple instructions leading to successful self-administration.
“We successfully formulated and optimized the MAP projection geometry to accommodate the high drug loading requirements of CAB LA (5.86 mg CAB LA per 1 cm² MAP), a hydrophobic drug,” the authors wrote in their abstract. “MAPs are stable for 6 months under accelerated aging conditions in aluminum packaging, readily penetrate the skin, and dissolve rapidly.”
When evaluated in rats, plasma concentration levels of CAB LA were maintained above the therapeutic targets of 4xPA-IC90 for 28 days; however, bioavailability was lower than intramuscular or intradermal injections.
The authors note that further development is needed. Future research should focus on optimizing bioavailability, as well as evaluating MAPs as an in vivo maintenance dose. Furthermore, further research is warranted on the cost of manufacturing and delivery analyses and an assessment of potential end-user acceptability.
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October 3, 2019 | MICHAELA FLEMING