Novel Transdermal Patch for Smoking Addiction Treatment

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Traditional medication-based methodologies for treating nicotine addiction have focused on delivering nicotine, most commonly via gum or a passive nicotine transdermal patch. Recently new medications, particularly bupropion and varenicline, both administered orally, have shown improved results. Despite these advances, however, long-term (one year or more) abstinence rates from smoking cigarettes still are typically less than 30%, and commonly around only 20%. Los Gatos Research is developing an alternative, transdermal delivery method to treat nicotine addiction that has the potential to significantly improve this long-term success rate. Using a novel programmable transdermal patch and a method for optimizing skin penetration rates for specific pharmaceutical formulations, for this NIH SBIR project LGR proposes to develop a platform combining both bupropion and nicotine delivery that offers extended, programmable, customizable timed medication release. In Phase I, LGR will design and test a programmable transdermal patch to independently deliver the two medications in combination. We will also optimize a novel drug delivery method to rapidly diffuse bupropion and nicotine formulations through the skin. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Nicotine addiction is implicated in the more than 400,000 deaths due to smoking in the United States every year. It is the greatest preventable cause of cancer, accounting for roughly one third of all cancer fatalities. Finding new and more effective methods for overcoming nicotine addiction is a critical element in the fight against drug abuse and saving lives. The work proposed for this NIH SBIR project is focused on developing a novel method for delivering bupropion and nicotine to fight nicotine addiction through the use of time-controlled, programmable transdermal drug delivery.