Painkilling patches add freedom

CHICAGO - An adhesive patch that uses a tiny electric current to deliver pain medication through the skin does the job about as well as conventional intravenous devices, say researchers.

The patch resembles a credit card and is affixed to the patient's upper arm or chest after surgery.

Both the patch and some intravenous delivery systems allow the patient to self-medicate by pressing a button, according to a Philadelphia study.

The study was financed by Alza Corporation, which developed the transdermal drug-delivery device with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals.

The report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said patches allowed patients to move about more freely than unwieldy intravenous systems.

The patch system is under review by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

- REUTERS