Device for delivery of rheumatoid arthritis medication
Disclosed are devices for delivering a rheumatoid arthritis drug across a dermal barrier. The devices include microneedles for penetrating the stratum corneum and also include structures fabricated on a surface of the microneedles to form a nanotopography. A random or non-random pattern of structures may be fabricated such as a complex pattern including structures of differing sizes and/or shapes. The pattern of structures on the surface of the microneedles may include nano-sized structures.
1 . A method for forming a device for delivery of a rheumatoid arthritis drug across a dermal barrier, the method comprising:
fabricating an array of microneedles;
fabricating a pattern of first nanostructures on and projecting outward from a surface of at least one of the microneedles, wherein the pattern of first nanostructures comprises a fractal and/or fractal-like geometry,
associating the rheumatoid arthritis drug with the microneedles such that the rheumatoid arthritis drug is in fluid communication with the microneedles.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , the method further comprising retaining the rheumatoid arthritis drug within a reservoir that is in fluid communication with the array of microneedles.
3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the reservoir is attached to a substrate upon which the array of microneedles are located.
4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the reservoir is removably connectable to the array of microneedles.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein each nanostructure of the pattern of first nanostructures comprises a cross-sectional dimension less than about 500 nanometers and greater than about 5 nanometers.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein each nanostructure of the pattern of first nanostructures comprises an aspect ratio from about 0.2 to about 5.
7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising fabricating a pattern of microstructures on the surface of the at least one of the microneedles, wherein the first nanostructures have a cross-sectional dimension smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the microstructures.
8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the cross-sectional dimension of each microstructure of the pattern of microstructures is greater than about 500 nanometers and less than about 10 micrometers.
9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein each microstructure of the pattern of microstructures comprises an aspect ratio from about 0.15 to about 5.
10 . The method according to claim 7 , further comprising fabricating a pattern of second nanostructures on the surface of the at least one of the microneedles, each having a cross-sectional dimension less than the cross-sectional dimension of the microstructures and greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the first nanostructures.
11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein an exterior surface of the microneedles has an average surface roughness between about 10 nanometers and about 200 nanometers.