New bio-adhesive company Medherant, founded by Warwick Ventures for the University of Warwick, UK, in 2014, has signed a license agreement with the leading global adhesive specialists Bostik. The partnership will supplement Medherant's capabilities to develop a new generation of medicinal patch technologies.

Medherant has also secured seed funding from Mercia Fund Management and is looking to improve drug delivery, patient experience and outcomes, with targeted medication delivered transdermally. The company aims to work with the pharmaceutical industry in developing novel patch-based therapeutics for a wide range of medical conditions where there is significant unmet need initially in pain relief.

The technology that Bostik has licensed to Medherant covers a breakthrough, patented, heat and moisture curable pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). The collaboration will supplement Medherant's activities in the development of a single-layer patch that is more comfortable, durable and easier to remove than current products. Importantly, the simplicity of patch construction allows for the development of patches for drugs previously unsuited for this type of delivery and offers the promise of faster-released drugs and higher dose products.

Professor David Haddleton, Chief Scientific Officer of Medherant, comments: “This partnership will help us to speed our development of single layer transdermal drug delivery systems and could potentially expand the number of available drugs made available through transdermal delivery systems.”

Dr Nicola Broughton, Investment Director and Head of Technology Transfer, Mercia Fund Management says: “Mercia Fund Management is pleased to provide early stage investment to a Life Sciences business that offers potentially disruptive drug delivery technology that could have huge benefits to the sector.”