Transdermal Patch Contract Manufacturing
Medicated skin patches made under your brand by specialist manufacturers, for prescription, OTC and pain-relief products.
Few plants make patches, and adhesion is the hard part
A transdermal patch delivers a drug through the skin over hours or days. Most modern patches are matrix patches, where the drug is mixed into the adhesive layer. Older reservoir patches hold the drug in a separate compartment behind a membrane.
Only a small number of manufacturers worldwide make them, including a handful in India. The technology is in the coating and laminating line and in the testing: the patch has to stick for the full wear time, release the right dose, and not leave the drug behind or ooze at the edges.
We shortlist patch makers by product type and by the approvals your market needs, and we share their data before you commit.
Tell us this to get a quote
- Molecule and dose (for example mg per 24 hours) and wear time
- Matrix or reservoir, patch size
- Prescription, OTC or medicated plaster for pain relief
- Target market(s)
- Pack: individual sachets, pack size
- Annual volume
- Your own formula and dossier, or the manufacturer's
What to check in a patch manufacturer
Approvals for your market
WHO-GMP and a CoPP for emerging markets. For the EU, UK or US, the site must be inspected by that regulator, and the dossier must include the adhesion and irritation data those regulators expect.
Adhesion data
Peel, tack and shear tests in the lab, and for regulated markets a study of adhesion on people over the full wear time. Patches that lift early under-dose.
Release and residual drug
In-vitro release testing, and the amount of drug left in a used patch. A high residual amount is a safety and disposal issue for some molecules.
Cold flow and stability
Adhesive can creep past the patch edge in storage. Ask for stability data covering cold flow, crystal formation and release at the end of shelf life.
Controlled molecules
Some patch molecules are controlled substances, which need extra licences and are handled case by case. We do not take them through general enquiries.
Capacity
Coating and laminating lines run in campaigns. Ask about minimum run per strength and the lead time for each campaign.
Matrix or reservoir?
| Matrix (drug-in-adhesive) | Reservoir | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Drug mixed into the adhesive layer | Drug held in a compartment, released through a rate-controlling membrane |
| Thickness and comfort | Thin, flexible | Thicker |
| Risk if damaged | Lower; cutting is still not advised unless labelled | Higher; a damaged membrane can release too much drug |
| Typical examples | Nicotine, estradiol, rivastigmine, rotigotine, nitroglycerin, lidocaine | Some older nitroglycerin and scopolamine patches |
Most new patch products and generics are matrix designs. Pain-relief plasters with diclofenac or menthol are a separate, simpler category.
How it works with PharmaTradz
You send the molecule, dose, wear time, market and volume.
Patch makers that already make that type, with approvals, adhesion and release data, and country of manufacture. Names under a confidential disclosure agreement when the requirement is firm.
Samples of an existing product, or development, adhesion and stability work for a new one.
Your brand, sachet and carton artwork, and the dossier for your market.
Production and release with a batch-wise CoA, including adhesion and release tests.
Scheduled campaigns against your forecast.
Problems we see most often
Patches that fall off
Usually an adhesive that is too weak for heat, sweat or the body site. Ask for adhesion data from conditions like your market's climate.
Crystals in the patch
The drug comes out of solution in the adhesive during storage, and release drops. Ask what stability shows at the end of shelf life.
Sticky edges in the sachet
Cold flow of adhesive past the edge, often from storage that is too warm. Check the release liner and sachet specification.
Looking for a transdermal patch manufacturer?
Send the molecule, dose, wear time, market and annual volume. We will tell you plainly which manufacturers fit and what data they hold.
Send your requirement Talk to our teamOther contract manufacturing
Building your own brand across several products? See white label and third-party manufacturing, or the CDMO and contract manufacturing guide hub.
