Fujifilm has developed the micro-needle array which is a new drug administration method that has gained attention for delivering the drug into the body just by attaching it onto the skin. A micro-needle array is a sheet arrayed with projections of 100-2000 micrometers. When the sheet is placed on the skin surface, the drug is injected into the skin from the projections and delivered into the body. The penetration of the projections of a micro-needle array will not cause pain like an injection. As drugs are efficiently delivered to affected areas, micro-needle arrays are prospected to become a new drug administration method.
Fujifilm incorporates the high-precision processing technology developed through the manufacturing of photographic films. The array can also be designed and mass-produced with projections of any desired length or form. At present Fujifilm is undergoing animal experiments using micro-needle arrays filled with vaccines and hormones. The experiments of vaccine administration have already proved to generate the same amount of or more antibodies than an injection. Preparations will soon take place for clinical research with human bodies.
