Painless patch could replace flu jab

VACCINES delivered via a painless, throw-away patch could one day eliminate the need for needle-and-syringe flu injections, researchers said recently 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 US National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which funded the study.

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,” Pettigrew added.

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 selfadministered.

In addition, it is stable for a year at 40°C, and does not require refrigeration, the researchers said.

“These advantages could reduce the cost of the flu vaccine and potentially increase coverage,” said lead author Nadine Rouphael, an associate professor at Emory.

“Our findings now need confirming in larger trials.”

Mark Prausnitz, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, led the design of the small coin-sized patch, and is cofounder of a company that is licensing the technology. – AFPRelaxnews