Pharmaceutics (Nov 2015)

Microneedle Coating Techniques for Transdermal Drug Delivery

  • Rita Haj-Ahmad,
  • Hashim Khan,
  • Muhammad Sohail Arshad,
  • Manoochehr Rasekh,
  • Amjad Hussain,
  • Susannah Walsh,
  • Xiang Li,
  • Ming-Wei Chang,
  • Zeeshan Ahmad

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics7040486
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 4
pp. 486 – 502

Abstract

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Drug administration via the transdermal route is an evolving field that provides an alternative to oral and parenteral routes of therapy. Several microneedle (MN) based approaches have been developed. Among these, coated MNs (typically where drug is deposited on MN tips) are a minimally invasive method to deliver drugs and vaccines through the skin. In this review, we describe several processes to coat MNs. These include dip coating, gas jet drying, spray coating, electrohydrodynamic atomisation (EHDA) based processes and piezoelectric inkjet printing. Examples of process mechanisms, conditions and tested formulations are provided. As these processes are independent techniques, modifications to facilitate MN coatings are elucidated. In summary, the outcomes and potential value for each technique provides opportunities to overcome formulation or dosage form limitations. While there are significant developments in solid degradable MNs, coated MNs (through the various techniques described) have potential to be utilized in personalized drug delivery via controlled deposition onto MN templates.

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