Possible discomforts of Transdermal Drug Delivery systems

• Transdermal drug delivery systems could be unsuitable for drugs that irritate or sensitize skin. 
• The natural limits of drug entry imposed by the skin's permeability indicates that relatively potent drugs are suitable only for transdermal delivery. 
• Under various environmental conditions, adhesions of the system to different skin types sometimes result in technical difficulties. 

Advantages of Transdermal Drug Delivery systems

• Avoids gastrointestinal tract difficulties during absorption caused by enzymes, drug interactions with food, etc. 
• Suitable in instances like vomiting/diarrhoea where oral route is not desirable. 
• Avoids first pass i.e. the initial passage of a drug substance through the systemic and portal circulation. 
• Provides the capacity for multi day therapy with a single application thereby improving patient compliance. Extends the activity of drugs having short half - life through the reservoir of drug present in the delivery system and its controlled release characteristics. 
• Therapy can be quickly terminated by removal of the patch from the skin. 
• Provides ease of rapid identification of medication in emergencies - non-responsive patients, unconscious or comatose patients. 
• Less chances of over or under dosing as the result of prolonged preprogrammed delivery of drug at the required therapeutic rate. 

What is ETS

ETS is a new transdermal hormone replacement therapy that is supposed to be convenient, safe, low dosage estrogen therapy.  It is a once-a-week dosage with a matrix patch, and offers various benefits over the existing treatments:

• Physiological low dose hormone
• Avoids hepatic first pass
• Convenient once a week treatment
• Prevents and manages post-menopausal symptoms - early symptoms like depression, anxiety, vaginal dryness, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.