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Transdermal Scopolamine Drug Delivery Systems for Motion Sickness

Author
Fung, Gloria; Ho, Terence; Lee, Soyoon; Munaretto, Joseph; Tsai, Christine
Abstract
Transdermal drug delivery systems are involved in the continuous administration of drug
molecules from the surface of the skin into the circulatory system. Such systems have proved
advantageous for delivery of certain drugs, such as scopolamine, nicotine, nitroglycerine, and
estradiol. Compared with oral administration, transdermal drug delivery offers better uniformity
of drug concentrations in plasma throughout their duration of use. Scopolamine is the active
ingredient in motion sickness medication that targets the nerve fibers in the inner ear. The
scopolamine patch is effective for about three days, longer than if administered orally which is
effective for only several hours. One of the main restraints of this transdermal system is its
absorption through the skin, especially through the stratum corneum, its outermost part. This
study examines the rate of diffusion of transdermal scopolamine across the skin and into the
systemic circulation. Our objective is to optimize the drug delivery by way of a scopolamine
patch by minimizing absorption rates, while maintaining its advantage of a long-term effect. A
comparative study of the effects in the presence of penetration enhancers were undertaken to
show how steady state is approached at different rates. The model we used does offer certain
limitations, as diffusivity values specific to human skin and scopolamine are not readily
available.
Journal/Series
2003;11
Date Issued
2003-07-12Subject
Transdermal Scopolamine Drug Delivery; motion sickness
Type
report