[27 Jan 2022] The method of drug delivery using syringes is considered to be less effective or has risks. Therefore, a drug delivery system using microneedle can replace this treatment method. This system has several benefits, namely it is painless on intradermal/transdermal skin penetration, reduces the occurrence of significant bleeding, reduces the possibility of needlestick injury, and is ideal for people who have a phobia of needles.

“The microneedle has the shape of a small, micro-sized needle, which is minimally invasive and can pass through the corneum structure, making it suitable for delivering intradermal and transdermal drugs,” said Andi Dian Permana, PhD, Apt as a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Hasanuddin University in Physics Talk Series 22 with the theme ” Microneedle Delivery Systems as Promising Approach for Improved Systemic and Local Deliveries of Drugs”, (27/1).

In the activity held by the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) IPB University, Andi explained that research on the microneedle drug delivery system in Indonesia is still limited. “The microneedle drug delivery system has been widely developed abroad, but there is still little research in Indonesia. So, it still has huge potential to be developed,” said the doctoral graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, England.

Although the development in Indonesia is still lacking, he continued, the use of the microneedle drug delivery system has proven to be more effective than oral administration of drugs in tests on mice. “Although the concentration is higher, within a few hours the drug given orally is eliminated from the body. Meanwhile, when using microneedle, the drug is proven to be more stable and longer lasting in the body, which is about three days. Even so, the drugs we usually take are usually large doses. Further research is needed for a microneedle system capable of loading large doses of drugs,” he said.

In the discussion session, Prof. Akhiruddin Maddu as the Head of the Biophysics Division of the Physics Department of IPB University said that with microneedle technology, drug administration does not need to be bothered, just sticks plaster. However, there are still challenges that are still being faced for mass use. “We express our appreciation to the speakers and hope to collaborate on the development of microneedles in the form of teaching and research. The microneedle technique is very useful for scientific development, especially in the fields of biophysics and biomedicine,” he said. (**/Zul) (IAAS/FJN)

This news is previously published in IPB Today

Physics Department of IPB University Holds Microneedle System Discussion as a Promising Approach for Drug Delivery | IPB University