MedNail® for improved topical ungual delivery

Product description

MedNail® is a patented nail penetration system, which provides enhanced drug delivery & activity across the nail. The technology has shown improved delivery of a variety of drugs across the nail and can be applied to the development of novel topical treatments for diseases of nail such as onychomycosis and psoriasis of the nail .

Background

The nail apparatus is composed of the nail folds, nail matrix, nail bed and the nail plate. The nail plate is a thin, hard, yet slightly elastic, translucent convex structure and is made up of around 25 layers of dead keratinised cells which are tightly bound to one another by numerous intercellular links. The nail plate is formed by the nail matrix, which is a highly proliferative epidermal tissue. Cell division of the matrix results in the continuous formation of the plate, which grows throughout life.

Existing topical formulations for the treatment of diseases of the nail assume that the barrier properties of the nail are similar to that of the stratum corneum, the protective outer layer of the skin. However, by comparison the nail plate is much thicker, harder and more dense. As such the permeation characteristics of the nail are very different from those of the stratum corneum.

Using its proprietary TurChub ® and ChubTur ® in vitro systems for testing the permeation and efficacy of drug compounds across human nail, MedPharm has developed MedNail® which comprises a synergistic selection of excipients that enhance nail penetration by specifically addressing the unique barrier properties of the nail.

Benefits of MedNail®

• Excipients either pharmacopeial or common in the cosmetic industry
• Cost effective components
• Modified release enabling
• May be formulated as creams, ointments, gels, solutions, lotions, foams, mousses, sprays, pastes or lacquers
• Versatility; formulation can be "dialled up/down" to meet application needs
• Demonstrable benefit for a variety of antifungals for the treatment of onychomycosis
• Avoidance of the toxic effects from systemic treatments for diseases of the nail

Current Patent Status

MedNail European Patent filed 14 December 2006. WO2006131721

To download the MedNail leaflet click on MedNail®