The “Smart Patch” prototype features an E Ink display to convey relevant information about patch performance to patients. (Credit: E Ink Holdings)
E Ink Holdings, “E Ink” (8069.TW), an innovator of electronic ink technology and LTS Lohmann-Therapie Systeme AG, “LTS” leading in the development and manufacturing of transdermal therapeutic systems, today announced their partnership to develop a “Smart Patch” prototype. The Smart Patch prototype is a transdermal therapeutic system (TTS) that delivers medication to patients in a convenient, controlled and comfortable manner and features an E Ink display to deliver and convey relevant information about patch performance.
According to a report conducted by the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), poor medication adherence is a pervasive problem that costs $290 billion a year in the U.S. Forgetting to take medication and not understanding administration instructions are among the main reasons why between 20 and 50 percent of patients are not adhering to their medical regimens. Smart drug systems like Smart Patches will increase globally to nearly $81.4 billion by 2024as they provide a more targeted, uniform and secure method of drug delivery.
“Poor medical adherence negatively impacts patients’ therapeutic outcomes, leading to more hospitalizations and higher total costs,” said Dr. Hanshermann Franke, Corp. VP of R&D at LTS. “The main purpose of any innovation must be centered on the idea of making patients’ lives as healthy and comfortable as possible. This can be achieved by designing “smart” solutions that easily integrate, facilitate treatment monitoring and help patients use their medication properly.”
The Smart Patch is equipped with a 2” E Ink electronic paper display (EPD) that leverages the display’s bistable nature to ensure the patient doesn’t need to recharge the battery. The patch features a switch, pressure sensor and a low voltage E Ink display that shows helpful information with functionalities including:
- A message indicating whether the patch is applied correctly to the skin
- A countdown until the next dose
- A reminder to remove the patch and to replace it appropriately
“This is the first application to feature E Ink’s low voltage film, which uses 50-70 percent of the typical driving voltage for EPDs,” said Dr. FY Gan, EVP of Sales Center at E Ink. “In addition to minimizing power consumption, which results in the ability to use a small battery with a longer battery life, the low voltage film is the thinnest electronic paper film available on the market at less than 200um, enabling it to fit flawlessly on the TTS.”
“There are many advantages to TTS technologies, and now we can add a decisive enhancement – an E Ink display,” said Dr. Tim Schlange, CMO at LTS. “This feature allows LTS to provide functionalities to patients with more reliable, safe and pain-free applications and to further enhance the value of solutions for its partners in the pharmaceutical industry.”
“Medical innovation is happening at an unprecedented rate and we are excited to partner with a company that is providing unique drug delivery systems in the marketplace to improve medical compliance,” said Dr. Paul Apen, Chief Strategy Officer at E Ink. “Our displays are a natural fit for this type of drug delivery system as they are thin, have a wide viewing angle and consume minimal power for continued use. This is just one of the ways our display technology is impacting the future of medical applications.”
The Smart Patch concept will initially target the treatment of chronic diseases. The first prototype will be displayed during CPhI in Messe Frankfurt, Germany October 24-26, 2017 at LTS’s booth 4.0 C40.
