research A Finasteride Patch for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: Study on Permeability Strategy Using Synthetic O-Acylmenthols and Ion-Pair
This study explores the development of a finasteride (FIN) transdermal patch for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA) using ion-pair and O-acylmenthols (AM) as chemical permeation enhancers (CPEs). The patch formulation was optimized through single-factor investigation and Box-Behnken design, and its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were evaluated. The study examined the permeability enhancement mechanisms of ion-pair and AMs at both the patch and skin levels using various analytical techniques. The optimized FIN patch formulation includes 5% synthetic FIN-CA, 6% MT-C6 as CPEs, and 25-AAOH as a pressure-sensitive adhesive, with a thickness of 80 ± 5 μm.