3M hMTS drug delivery method ready for clinical trials

PATIENTS could look forward to the day when they can receive their injection of prescription medications at home and not have to trek to the doctor’s office. The new alternative drug delivery method developed by 3M scientists, the 3M™ Hollow Microstructured Transdermal System (hMTS), is now available to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for further development and clinical trials. 

 

The 3M hollow microneedle device adopts 3M’s microreplication technology to enable difficult-to-deliver biologics. It is patient-friendly and easy to use. 

 

3M hMTS provide patients a user-friendly drug delivery alternative that could open new opportunities to move treatments out of the clinic and into the patient’s own home 

 

3M conducted a number of studies and design verification tests prior to reaching this clinical trial stage. The rigorous process comprised device design finalization, critical component manufacture using medical grade materials, establishment of GMP array manufacturing, device assembly, and FDA documentation. 

 

To select the appropriate microneedle array for clinical studies, 3M conducted a human tolerability study, which discovered very good delivery times for 2 mL (less than 2 minutes on average). These results provide foundational data in assessing the safety of the device. 

 

Besides patient-friendly features, the 3M hMTS will enable patients to self-administer drugs. This will open possibilities for moving treatments out of the clinic and into the patient’s own home, said Ingrid Blair, vice president of Business and Marketing at 3M Drug Delivery Systems. 

 

“From the foundation laid by our recent human study, we are excited to extend our hollow microneedle device and expertise to companies who are ready for clinical studies. Pharma companies can now evaluate 3M hMTS in their clinical trials as a delivery system for a new drug product or a product line extension. Keeping patient preference top of mind is key and with this new system, pharmaceutical companies have more options to satisfy patients,” Ms. Blair added.

 

“We are looking forward to working with pharmaceutical partners to provide this microneedle drug delivery alternative,” she further stated.