Drug Delivered through Skin Patch Effectively Treats Foot Ulcers

Developed by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers, the skin patch has an array of microneedles to painlessly poke holes in the top layer of skin, gradually releasing medication. The main ingredient of the medication, deferoxamine, helps to promote the growth of new networks of small blood vessels needed to heal damaged tissue. The patch healed wounds an average of 14 days faster than when the drug was just applied topically. Additionally, by boosting the damaged skin’s collagen levels, the wound-healing quality was better. American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress, Oct 2014