Transdermal IQP-0410 patch shows promise for HIV patients

Studies of IQP-0410, from ImQuest Biosciences, a promising HIV therapeutic, demonstrate that it can be applied to the skin of patients with HIV as transdermal patches which are capable of releasing more than 96 percent of the HIV medication over the course of seven days. The results were presented at the 2011 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition. This kind of controlled delivery system - the first transdermal patch for HIV medication - offers advantageous over traditional therapeutic delivery to improve the success of HIV therapeutic products, since individuals with HIV must take up to 20 pills daily to keep their viral load low. To create the patch, IQP-0410 was formulated into ethyl cellulose / HPMC-based film patches via solvent cast manufacturing. In vitro evaluations of antiviral activity, mechanism of action, and toxicity in primary and established cells were used to characterise the bioactivity of IQP-0410 and the patches demonstrated no significant degradation over 3 months. IQP-0410 is currently being prepared to enter Phase I clinical trials.