An Irish company has signed a deal with multinational giant Hewlett Packard, to develop what it claims is the first skin patch capable of delivering a variety of drugs through the skin.
Crospon, a Galway-based medical device developer, will license the intellectual property from HP and hopes to bring it to market within three years.
The aim is for Crospon to develop the patch so that it can deliver one or more drugs in a single patch which is applied to the skin. In return it will pay royalty payments to HP.
Although patches for drugs such as nicotine delivery and some pain relief drugs such as morphine have become common, the patches, known as transdermal patches (because they allow for absorption through the skin), are not widely effective as a delivery method, according to the companies. This is because the skin acts as a natural barrier.
Crospon chief executive John O'Dea said the HP-developed patch uses microneedles that hardly penetrate the skin, which reduces discomfort. He said it also allows for a larger variety of drugs and biopharmaceuticals to be used.
Ironically, HP initially developed the drug-delivery technology as a way of redirecting its inkjet technology for new markets. The skin-patch technology is similar to HP's process for its inkjet cartridges.
Mr O'Dea said the patch could handle multiple drugs, which require very precise timing for delivery. This could include pain management and some fertility drugs.
He said the transdermal drug-delivery market was very large and was currently worth about $4 billion.
Crospon will "commercialise" the patch, according to Mr O'Dea, which will include manufacturing it and managing all marketing, sales and support of the technology.
"We encourage companies like Crospon to apply HP's intellectual property in innovative ways to help more people benefit from these important technologies," Mr Joe Beyers, vice-president of HP's Intellectual Property Licensing, said in a statement. "By licensing core intellectual property in thermal inkjet technology for use in a drug-delivery product, HP breathes new life into its mature technology while capitalising on the booming healthcare and life sciences market."
Crospon was established last year and is owned by a number of private investors including Mr O'Dea, who has an engineering background, the Western Development Commission and Enterprise Ireland.
It recently completed a round of seed financing worth €2.3 million.
Mr O'Dea said Crospon would be seeking to raise another €4-€5 million in the next 12 months.