Vyteris, Georgia Tech to develop transdermal drug delivery

Vyteris, a New Jersey-based company that bills itself as "a leader in alternative drug delivery technology," makes drug-delivery patches. Mark Prausnitz, a Georgia Tech professor, is constantly thinking of new ways to deliver medication through the skin using energy or microneedles. It seems logical that the company and the professor should see what they could do together. And they did, with Georgia Tech entering into an exclusive agreement with Vyteris for transdermal drug delivery technologies.

What Vyteris is specifically interested in is Prausnitz's thermal ablation methods that prepare the skin for drug delivery. Basically, that means heating the skin for fractions of a second to create micron-sized holes that can be used to control drug delivery.

Transdermal drug delivery, in addition to doing away with painful needles, can empower patients to better control their medication schedule, improves drug efficacy in many cases, and offers the promise of reduced healthcare costs," Prausnitz said in a statement announcing the partnership.

While specific financial terms were not disclosed, Georgia Tech will be entitled to royalty and milestone payments connected to development and potential commercialization of products that incorporate the technologies.

Vyteris recently announced positive results from a Phase II clinical trial of its transdermal patch for female infertility. The patch delivers gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), which ordinarily would require an infusion pump be used over prolonged periods of time. Vyteris' active, transdermal smart patch technology may be a more-convenient, noninvasive method of delivery.

- read the Vyteris release
- check out Praunitz's drug delivery lab

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FDA worried about dangers of excess drugs on skin patches