Electronic ink technology developer E Ink Holdings, "E Ink" and transdermal therapeutic systems The prototype features an E Ink display to convey relevant information about patch performance to patients. (Photo: E Ink Holdings)manufacturer LTS Lohmann-Therapie Systeme AG, “LTS” (Andernach, Germany) have forged a partnership to develop a “Smart Patch” prototype. The prototype is a transdermal therapeutic system (TTS) that delivers medication to patients in a convenient, controlled and comfortable manner and features an E Ink display to deliver and convey relevant information about patch performance.

The device is equipped with a 2” E Ink electronic paper display (EPD) that leverages the display’s bistable nature to ensure the patient doesn’t need to recharge the battery. The patch features a switch, pressure sensor and a low voltage E Ink display that shows helpful information with functionalities including:

• A message indicating whether the patch is applied correctly to the skin

• A countdown until the next dose

• A reminder to remove the patch and to replace it appropriately

“This is the first application to feature E Ink’s low voltage film, which uses 50-70 percent of the typical driving voltage for EPDs,” said Dr. FY Gan, executive vice president of the sales center at E Ink. “In addition to minimizing power consumption, which results in the ability to use a small battery with a longer battery life, the low voltage film is the thinnest electronic paper film available on the market at less than 200um, enabling it to fit flawlessly on the TTS.”

“There are many advantages to TTS technologies, and now we can add a decisive enhancement – an E Ink display,” said Dr. Tim Schlange, chief marketing officer at LTS. “This feature allows LTS to provide functionalities to patients with more reliable, safe and pain-free applications and to further enhance the value of solutions for its partners in the pharmaceutical industry.”

The Smart Patch concept will initially target the treatment of chronic diseases. The first prototype will be displayed during CPhI in Messe Frankfurt, Germany October 24-26, 2017 at LTS’s booth 4.0 C40.