PORTFOLIO

One in four individuals globally is afraid of needles. However, every day, millions of patients have to inject their medicines to manage diseases like diabetes and osteoporosis. This practice not only inflicts pain and discomfort but also substantially contributes to medical waste. Unfortunately, these medicines cannot be taken orally as they face rapid degradation or are too large to overcome gastrointestinal barriers on their way to the bloodstream. Consequently, developing painless alternatives for the delivery of these drugs remains an exceptionally formidable task, with only a few marketed products. At OBaris AG, we strive to revolutionize this landscape. In tackling the aforementioned challenge, we drew inspiration from nature and created the OctoPatch®—a small, needle-free patch inspired by an octopus sucker. This innovative patch can be easily self-applied to the inner side of the cheek, where it stays for a short period of time, such as during one's morning routine, before it is removed. Combining a gentle stretching of the barrier with natural permeation enhancers, the OctoPatch® enables the efficient absorption of these drugs into the bloodstream. Furthermore, it is a platform technology capable of delivering various injectable drugs with minimal waste production. Our mission is to alleviate the burden associated with injections for both patients and healthcare systems, while reducing the environmental impact linked to medical waste.

The goal of this project is to finalize the technical development of the OctoPatch® a small, needle-free buccal patch for painless delivery of injectable drugs, ensuring its readiness for the scale-up and regulatory studies.