Zosano Pharma - Drug Applicator & Patch System
Prime the handheld device to compress the internal spring and store precise mechanical force
Load the patch ring
Press the device against the skin to actuate a painless drug delivery
The Design Challenge
Traditional needle injections cause significant pain and anxiety, drastically hindering patient compliance. Additionally, conventional transdermal methods lack a reliable, user-friendly mechanism to cleanly drive micro-protrusions into the skin without causing tissue trauma or requiring clinical expertise.
The Design Solution
The Zosano Pharma system solves this by combining an ergonomic mechanical applicator with a stabilizing patch ring and a dry, solid drug-coated microneedle array. Users simply "cock" the handheld device to compress an internal spring and store a precise mechanical force, "dock" the patch assembly onto the bottom, and press the device against the skin to actuate a painless, seamless, and highly effective drug delivery.
Originally developed for ALZA/Macroflux, this innovative transdermal system combines a specialized applicator with a patch ring and a drug-infused microneedle patch. Co-developed with D2M.