Vaccines delivered via a disposable patch could one day eliminate the need for needle-and-syringe flu injections, researchers said on Wednesday after completing a preliminary trial.
Equipped with micro-needles, the patches vaccinated against influenza just as effectively as a standard flu jab, they reported in the medical journal The Lancet .
“This bandage-strip sized patch of dissolvable needles can transform how we get vaccinated,” said Roderic Pettigrew, director of the U.S. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which funded the study.
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Cheaper option
The new technology can be self-administered and stored without refrigeration, making it significantly cheaper than traditional vaccines.
“It holds the promise for delivering other vaccines in the future,” Mr. Pettigrew added.
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A hundred tiny needles — just long enough to penetrate the skin — embedded in each patch dissolve within minutes when exposed to moisture from the body.
Adhesive holds the patch close the skin while the vaccine is released, and can be peeled away after 20 minutes and discarded.
The manufacturing cost for the patches is expected to be about the same as for pre-filled syringes.
But the patch is expected to be cheaper because it can be sent through the mail and self-administered. In addition, it is stable for a year at 40 degrees Celsius, and does not require refrigeration, the researchers said.