Transdermal delivery: product and patent update.

Transdermal drug delivery is an attractive alternative to the oral and parenteral drug delivery. Drugs which are prone to first-pass metabolism can be delivered easily in small doses with sustained blood levels through this method. An update to available products along with a review of clinical trials and patents are discussed in this study. In this review, we have compiled 16 drugs, i.e. Buprenorphine, Clonidine, Estradiol, Fentanyl, Granisetron, Lidocaine, Methylphenidate, Nicotine, Nitroglycerin, Oxybutynin, Rivastigmine, Rotigotine, Scopolamine, Selegiline, Testosterone, Influenza virus vaccine (Microneedle) and covering about 22 marketed products on the transdermal system. We present instrumental information on them along with the compilation of current clinical trials on transdermal systems. We summarize the contents of patents granted in last 5 years under different pharmacological categories. This article serves, accordingly as a source of available information focused on transdermal drug delivery research.