Transdermal drug-device combination products can enrich the patient experience.
By Vivek Ghate, M.Pharm., Pinal Chaudhari, M. Pharm., Shaila Lewis, Ph.D., all at Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Vishalakshi B., Ph.D., Mangalore University
Turning the clock to about 30 years ago, one could see most pharmacy shelves stacked with tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, and injection vials. Though these systems of treatment were and are doing justice to the suffering patients, the advent of technology and the ever-changing needs of the patients have slowly shifted the spotlight toward the development of drug-device combination products (DDCP).1 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines a combination product as a product that contains two or more regulated components such as a drug and a device that are either packaged separately or together.2 The art of combining drugs and biological actives with a device results in DDCP, and such products have been predicted to have a significant impact on the delivery of pharmaceuticals in the future. Examples of DDCP include prefilled syringes, drug-coated stents and implants, copackaged kits, inhalers, and more recently transdermal microneedle systems.