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 device for delivery of a rheumatoid arthritis drug across a dermal barrier, the device comprising:
a microneedle and a plurality of first nanostructures located on a surface of the microneedle and projecting outward from the surface of the microneedle, wherein the nanostructures on the surface of the microneedle are fabricated in a pattern that comprises a fractal and/or fractal-like geometry; and
a rheumatoid arthritis drug in fluid communication with the microneedle.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the microneedle further includes microstructures, wherein the nanostructures have a cross-sectional dimension smaller than the microstructures.
3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising second nanostructures 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.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures have a cross-sectional dimension of less than about 500 nanometers and greater than about 5 nanometers.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures have a center-to-center spacing of from about 50 nanometers to about 1 micrometer.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures have a height of from about 10 nanometers to about 20 micrometers.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures have an aspect ratio of from about 0.15 to about 30.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the rheumatoid arthritis drug is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.
9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the rheumatoid arthritis drug is a protein therapeutic.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the rheumatoid arthritis drug is a TNF-α blocker or an IL-1 blocker.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the rheumatoid arthritis drug is an anti-inflammatory drug.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the rheumatoid arthritis drug is an analgesic.
13. A method for delivering a rheumatoid arthritis drug across a dermal barrier, the method comprising:
penetrating the stratum corneum with a microneedle having a surface upon which a plurality of nanostructures are located in a pattern that comprises a fractal and/or fractal-like geometry, wherein the microneedle further contains a channel;
transporting a rheumatoid arthritis drug from a reservoir through the channel of the microneedle and across the stratum corneum.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the rheumatoid arthritis drug has a molecular weight greater than about 100 kDa.