Benefit

Technology Description

For the first time in US history a person is more likely to die from an opioid overdose than a motor vehicle accident. Increased use of more potent opioids such as fentanyl and its derivatives is causing deaths to continue rising. Despite the urgency and clear clinical need, commercially available preparations of naloxone (the antidote for opioid overdose) are not appropriate to be readily used in all settings, by all individuals. Most specifically, the need for repeated, rescue doses is becoming increasingly common in order to prevent overdose relapse when a patient has ingested large amounts of opioids. There is a need to develop a naloxone dosage form that could be readily used in pre-hospital settings and does not require rescue doses for ongoing effectiveness.
Inventors at the University of Iowa have developed a transdermal patch for naloxone delivery that can be used safely by all individuals and applied rapidly and easily in emergency settings. The patch is designed with multiple layers that work synergistically to minimize absorption lag time and provide continuous drug delivery, eliminating the need for repeated dosing. Because the patch is easy to apply it requires little to no training or additional equipment. This allows it to be used in all emergency settings, unlike current formulations such as nasal spray or injectables which can be difficult to use on combative patients. Additionally, because patches are thin and require minimal storage space, they are a discrete way for a patient or family member to easily carry within a wallet or purse to provide a lifesaving intervention.

UIRF Case No. 2022-021

Stage of Development

Transdermal delivery of naloxone using the patch has been tested in in vitro release and permeation tests, and proof of concept pharmacokinetics studies have been completed in guinea pigs. The development of a prototype patch is currently underway to ensure the one-step application approach that will be desirable for consumer use.