Novel Dissolving and Hydrogel-Forming Microarray Patches for Transdermal Delivery of Apomorphine HCl

Introduction: Dopamine agonists are often used in Parkinson’s disease (PD) to combat acute unexpected motor symptoms, commonly known as ‘OFF’ periods [1]. Most efficacious of these is apomorphine hydrochloride (APO), administered subcutaneously either intermittently or by continuous infusion [2]. Due to these options requiring the aid of hypodermic needles or a pneumatic pump, they suffer from challenging operation, pain and injection site reactions [3]. Thus, sustained delivery by painless, easy-to-administer dissolving (D-MAPs) or hydrogel-forming microarray patches (HF-MAPs) may be an exciting prospect.