October 9, 2000

A new private US company, Altea Development Corp, has developed a novel drug delivery patch, MicroPor, which delivers peptides and proteins through microscopic pores made in the skin. It is seeking corporate partners for its transdermal insulin project, which is their pilot clinical studies.

The new patch is based on a patented "microportation" prcoess, whereby small pores are made in the outermost layer of skin cells, opening a pathway to the
underlying tissue. The system forms the pores by rapidly delivering a small pulse of heat or other forms of thermal energy into the outer layers of skin.
Because the pulse of energy is very short, a few milliseconds, the patient feels no pain. MicroPor can provide a steady infusion or bolus delivery of
proteins, DNA and small moelcule drugs for one day to one week. The technology can be engineered to deliver substances of any size or molecular weight, and can be passive or driven by electrical or sonic energy. The
technology has been evaluated with parathyroid hormone (PTH) and some work has been done on erythropoietin and lidocaine. The company also has a feasibilty program underway with Novartis, which is studying the delivery of an undisclosed recombinant protein using the MircoPor patch.

...insulin delivery

The US National Institutes of Health has awarded the company a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research Grant to study the MicroPor system for non-invasive delivery of insulin, particularly in response to parameters such as low-dose current, says Dr. Eppstein, Altea's Chairman and CEO. Dr. E was formerly head of business at TheraTech.

The MicroPor insulin patch can deliver a bolus of insulin with a profile comparable to subcutaneous injection, with less of a depot effect, says Dr.
E. MicroPor insulin delivery is particularly exciting, she believes, because it can provide on-demand bolus delivery as well as continuous basal delivery.
"Theoretically, it could provide what an insulin pump provides without being invasive," she said.