Skip to main content

Silicone adhesives provide secured adhesion and painless removal to patients using Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems

A Transdermal Drug Delivery System (TDDS) is an adhesive patch that contains a drug or medication which is placed on the skin to deliver specific doses over time transdermally into the body, at a defined release rate. 

Adhesive skin patches are noninvasive and convey medication into the body gradually and painlessly. They are easy to use, do not require any injections or the taking of pills and limit side effects. They ensure a controlled and precise delivery of small-size Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) molecules over long periods of time and must be made with medical grade films and adhesives that do not cause skin irritations.

Silicones for transdermal patches

Silicones for transdermal patches

What are the challenges faced when designing transdermal patches?

Silicone adhesives are widely used to manufacture TDDS because they provide distinct advantages over other traditional adhesive technologies:  

  • Biocompatibility
  • Less skin irritation
  • Adjustable level of adhesion to the patient’s skin  
  • Comfortable removal
  • Good compatibility with main API
  • Adjustable drug release profiles due to the silicone network and the good permeability to drugs 
  • No organic tackifiers, stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers or other potentially toxic extractables. 

Developing TDDS involves complex and collaborative choices, including the selection of the different components entering into the patch’s construction. All these factors make Silicone adhesives particularly adapted to face the challenges when designing a transdermal patch:  

  • Adhesion of the device to the patient’s skin is of primary importance to ensure efficient therapeutic performance, 
  • Ensure the compatibility between the different components of the device and more precisely the adhesive and the API, 
  • Deliver precisely the right dose to the patient over a specific period of time. 
silbione-general-guide

Experience the Silbione™ difference

Medical grade Silicones for healthcare & biomedical applications.

At Elkem silicones, we are dedicated people located around the globe, committed to your success. Whether you are looking for a product recommendation, for customized silicone solutions, or for regulatory support, we have the people in place when and where you want them.

Related applications

Contact us

Take your business to the next level by partnering-up with a global leading material manufacturer.