Lidocaine hydrogel patches will be developed to treat localised acute pain

Published: 9-Sep-2013

Demand for advanced dressings has increased in recent years due to innovative adoptions of bioactive and antimicrobial dressings

US-based wound management and drug delivery company Alliqua is launching a preclinical proof-of-principle study of an experimental hydrogel transdermal patch containing lidocaine. The lidocaine hydrogel patches will be developed with the aim of treating localised acute pain, including post-operative pain, back pain, and pain associated with sport injuries and arthritis.

Alliqua says results from this preclinical proof-of-principle study will be available in the third quarter of 2013.

The demand for advanced dressings has increased in recent years due to innovative adoptions of interactive/bioactive and antimicrobial dressings, including hydrogels. The global wound dressing market is expected to reach US$6bn by 2017. The US and Europe are the two leading geographic markets for wound dressings, with the US accounting for more than one-third of the world market.

Alliqua's hydrogels are said to offer painless adhesion to the human body, stability of form and composition, purity, reproducibility (manufacturing high quality product on a consistent basis), compatibility with active ingredients, and high water content.

Among the 15 drug delivery systems surveyed by Frost & Sullivan, it was revealed that doctors prefer topical delivery, either as a transdermal patch or topical gel/cream, and expressed willingness to switch their current mode of therapy to one available in these forms.

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