EP1094781A1 — Compositions for rapid and non-irritating transdermal delivery of pharmaceutically active agents and methods for formulating such compositions and delivery thereof

USPTO Abstract

Pharmaceutical compositions for the transdermal administration of a medicament or other active agent by topical application of the composition to the skin of humans or other animals are described. Methodology for formulating such compositions which provide for very rapid uptake of the medicament and transmigration into and through the skin to either fatty tissues or the vascular system, while minimizing irritation to the skin and/or immunological response, is based on a transdermal delivery system (TDS) wherein the medicament is modified to form a true solution in a complex formed from particular solvents and solvent and solute modifiers in combination with skin stabilizers. Uptake of the medicament is further facilitated and made more rapid by including Forskolin or other source of cellular energy, namely induction of cAMP or cGMP. Selection of specific solvents and solvent and solute modifiers and other functional ingredients and the amounts thereof are chosen such that there is a balance between the sum of the mole-moments [(molar amount of each individual ingredient) X (dipole moment of that ingredient)] of the delivery system and the sum of the molar moments of the composition in which the medicament is dissolved. Preferably, the van der Waals forces of the delivery system is also similarly matched to the van der Waals forces of the total composition, namely, delivery system plus active agent.