Development and evaluation of a monolithic drug-in-adhesive patch for valsartan.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a monolithic drug-in-adhesive (DIA) patch as a transdermal therapeutic system for the administration of valsartan (VAL). To improve the penetration of VAL in the patch, several chemical penetration enhancers were investigated by in vitro hairless mouse and Yucatan micro pig (YMP) skin permeation studies. A combination of isopropyl myristate (IPM)/diisooctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) most strongly enhanced the permeation of VAL. Since the concentration of VAL through the patch in hairless rat (HR) in vivo was correlated with that in HR skin in vitro, VAL that permeated through the skin could effectively pass into the systemic circulation. The plasma concentration-time profile of VAL after the patch was applied in humans was estimated by a convolution technique from the results of the in vitro YMP study, which indicated that the concentration of VAL could be sufficient to produce a pharmacological effect. These results demonstrate that the combination of IPM/AOT may be useful for the development of a practical DIA patch for VAL.