Transdermal therapeutic system for the transdermal administration of guanfacine comprising a silicone acrylic hybrid polymer

1. A transdermal therapeutic system (“TTS”) for the transdermal administration of guanfacine comprising a guanfacine-containing layer structure, said guanfacine-containing layer structure comprising:

A) a backing layer; and

B) a guanfacine-containing layer;

wherein the transdermal therapeutic system comprises at least one silicone acrylic hybrid polymer, and wherein the guanfacine-containing layer is a guanfacine-containing matrix layer comprising:

i) guanfacine; and

ii) the at least one silicone acrylic hybrid polymer;

wherein the guanfacine-containing layer comprises guanfacine in an amount of from 3 to 16% by weight, based on the total weight of the guanfacine-containing layer.

2. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine-containing layer structure is self-adhesive.

3. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine in the guanfacine-containing layer structure is present in the form of guanfacine free base dispersed in the guanfacine-containing layer.

4. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine-containing layer comprises from 20 to 99% of the at least one silicone acrylic hybrid polymer by weight based on the total weight of the guanfacine-containing layer.

5. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the silicone acrylic hybrid polymer is a silicone acrylic hybrid pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising the reaction product of

(a) a silicon-containing pressure-sensitive adhesive composition comprising acrylate or methacrylate functionality;

(b) an ethylenically unsaturated monomer; and

(c) an initiator.

6. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 5 , wherein the silicon-containing pressure-sensitive adhesive composition comprising acrylate or methacrylate functionality comprises the condensation reaction product of

(a1) a silicone resin, and

(a2) a silicone polymer, and

(a3) a silicon-containing capping agent comprising acrylate or methacrylate functionality,

wherein said silicon-containing capping agent is of the general formula XYR′ b SiZ 3-b , wherein X is a monovalent radical of the general formula AE, where E is —O— or —NH— and A is an acryl group or methacryl group, Y is a divalent alkylene radical having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, R′ is a methyl or a phenyl radical, Z is a monovalent hydrolysable organic radical or halogen, and b is 0 or 1;

wherein the silicone resin and silicone polymer are reacted to form a pressure-sensitive adhesive,

wherein the silicon-containing capping agent is introduced prior to, during, or after the silicone resin and silicone polymer are reacted,

and wherein the silicon-containing capping agent reacts with the pressure-sensitive adhesive after the silicone resin and silicone polymer have been condensation reacted to form the pressure-sensitive adhesive, or the silicon-containing capping agent reacts in situ with the silicone resin and silicone polymer.

7. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 5 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is selected from the group consisting of aliphatic acrylates, aliphatic methacrylates, cycloaliphatic acrylates, cycloaliphatic methacrylates, and combinations thereof, each of said compounds having up to 20 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical.

8. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 5 , wherein the reaction product of

(a) the silicon-containing pressure-sensitive adhesive composition comprising acrylate or methacrylate functionality;

(b) the ethylenically unsaturated monomer; and

(c) the initiator contains a continuous, acrylic external phase and a discontinuous, silicone internal phase.

9. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 5 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is a combination of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and methyl acrylate, and wherein the combination of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and methyl acrylate is from 40:60 to 70:30 ratio by weight (2-ethylhexyl acrylate:methyl acrylate).

10. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine-containing layer further comprises at least one additive selected from the group consisting of dispersing agents, permeation enhancers, and solubilizers.

11. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 10 , wherein the dispersing agent is selected from the group consisting of esters of fatty acids with polyols, fatty alcohols, polyethylene glycols having a number average molecular weight of from 300 to 400, and polyethylene glycol alkyl ethers.

12. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 10 , wherein the permeation enhancer is selected from the group consisting of diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (transcutol), oleic acid, levulinic acid, caprylic/capric triglycerides, diisopropyl adipate, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, lauryl lactate, triacetin, dimethylpropylene urea, and oleyl alcohol.

13. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 10 , wherein the solubilizer is selected from the group consisting of copolymers derived from esters of acrylic and methacrylic acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone, vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymers, and polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymers.

14. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 10 , wherein the dispersing agent is polyethylene glycol C 5 -C 20 -alkyl ether having from 2 to 10 EO units.

15. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine-containing layer has (i) an area weight ranging from 40 to 250 g/m 2 ,

(ii) an area of release ranging from 1 to 100 cm 2 , or

both (i) and (ii).

16. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the transdermal therapeutic system provides by transdermal delivery at steady state a plasma concentration of guanfacine of from 1 to 20 ng/ml.

17. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the transdermal therapeutic system provides by transdermal delivery at least one pharmacokinetic parameter selected from the group consisting of:

an AUC 0-24h of about 10 to 600 ng*h/ml;

an AUC 0-72h of about 30 to 1800 ng*h/ml;

an AUC 0-84h of about 35 to 2100 ng*h/ml;

a C max to C 84 ratio of less than 3.5;

a C max to C 72 ratio of less than 3.0; and

a C max to C 24 ratio of less than 2.0, or a combination thereof.

18. A method of treating hypertension or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a human patient or treating a human patient with a stimulant medication, the method comprising administering the transdermal therapeutic system of claim 1 to the skin of the human patient in need thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the transdermal therapeutic system is applied to the skin of the patient for at least 24 hours.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the human patient is 6 to 17 years old.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the transdermal therapeutic system is applied to the skin of the patient for at least 72 hours.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the transdermal therapeutic system is applied to the skin of the patient for about 84 hours.

23. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine-containing layer structure comprises from 1 to 100 mg/TTS guanfacine.

24. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the guanfacine-containing layer structure comprises from 8 to 72 mg/TTS guanfacine.

25. The transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one silicone acrylic hybrid polymer comprises from 60:40 to 40:60 of a silicone phase and an acrylate phase by weight ratio.