Transdermal Co-Delivery of Sumatriptan Succinate and Naproxen Sodium via Dissolving Microneedle Patch

Purpose

Current migraine therapies face challenges such as poor patient compliance and delayed onset of action, necessitating novel delivery strategies. The development of transdermal drug delivery systems, particularly microneedle patches, offered a viable substitute for enhancing patient compliance and avoiding the first-pass effect.

Method

This research focused on the fabrication and characterization of a microneedle patch to deliver the combination of sumatriptan succinate and naproxen sodium. Microneedles were fabricated using Polyvinyl alcohol and Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose via solvent casting technique. The prepared microneedle patches were characterized for their morphological and mechanical properties, drug release kinetics, drug content determination, and ability of the microneedles to penetrate.

Result

SEM analysis confirmed the uniformity in the height of the microneedles with an average height of 500 µm and a base diameter of 200 µm. The microneedle patches showed adequate mechanical strength to pierce the stratum corneum without breaking, and an average insertion force of about 5.28 ± 0.1 N was needed. In-vitro insertion and irritation study verified the successful insertion of needles without any notable deformation and no irritation to the skin was observed. XRD study confirms the crystalline structure of both API individually and the amorphous state in the formulation. In-vitro release experiments revealed a regulated release profile over 24 h i.e. 86.8% ± 0.3% (Sumatriptan succinate) and 86.34% ± 0.7% (Naproxen sodium). The drug loading efficiency of both drugs i.e. Sumatriptan succinate and Naproxen sodium was observed as 100% and 99.7% respectively.

Conclusion

This innovative approach could improve patient compliance and outcomes compared to conventional therapies. More animal studies should be done to ascertain the effectiveness and safety of the system on a commercial scale.