Single-Administration Self-Boosting Microneedle Patch for The Treatment of Obesity

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are one of the most effective treatments for obesity. The current therapy associated with repeated subcutaneous injections to maintain the drug therapeutic effect causes patient compliance issues and raises environmental concerns (due to sharp biohazard waste from disposed syringes/needles). Herein, we report a programmable scheduled release microneedles (PSR-MNs) system for delivering Semaglutide (a GLP-1 RA agent with a half-life of ~ 7 days) to manage and treat obesity. A single skin administration of a PSR-MNs patch (2 cm × 2 cm) which contains 4 programmable core-shell MNs patches (1 cm² each, so-called pixels) enables the repeated release of Semaglutide every 7 days and sustains the drug efficacy for an unprecedented one-month period, simulating the effect of using four bolus injections spaced 7 days apart. Our PSR-MNs system provides an advanced injection-free platform to significantly enhance the current treatment of obesity with GLP-1RAs, addressing concerns related to pain, needle phobia, high cost and the need of medical facilities/personnel in traditional injections to administer the drug.