Microneedle Array: Applications, Recent Advances, and Clinical Pertinence in Transdermal Drug Delivery

Drug delivery through the skin by transdermal patches has a long history. Subsequent growth of transdermal science proved prominent utility of transdermal systems meant for passive diffusion of the drug. It was followed by the development of iontophoresis- and sonophoresis-based transdermal delivery systems. Microneedle array has now caught attention of the investigators owing to its immense utility in transdermal delivery of very large molecules with ionic and hydrophilic nature. In this technical note, we present the current scenario, applications, and recent advances in microneedle array-based delivery of the most critical molecules through the skin. The application of microneedle has widely been investigated, and these technologies are being developed for the delivery of bio-therapeutics, bio-macromolecules, insulin, growth hormones, immunobiologicals, proteins, siRNA, and peptides. Potential of microneedles to transform the global transdermal market is highlighted in terms of the success rate of the microneedle technologies in clinical trials reaching to the global market. The arrival of the commercial microneedle-based products in the market is highly anticipated as they have potential to portray remarkable impact on clinical medicine in near future.