£3.8 million raised for Warwick spin-out Medherant TEPI Patch®

In 2017, a University of Warwick graduate worked as part of a team from the spin-out company Medherant to invent a device which can revolutionise transdermal drug testing. Since then, Medherant has raised £3.8 million for further development of the TEPI Patch®.

The next generation drug delivery platform, TEPI Patch®, stems from research which took place at the University of Warwick’s Department of Chemistry. Warwick Ventures, the University department dedicated to the commercialisation of innovations from Warwick’s world-leading academic research provided support, advice, and resource for the creation of Medherant. Medherant’s TEPI Patch® overcomes many of the limitations that its current competitors have, and can deliver drugs which can either act locally or systematically. The novel device is compatible with a much wider range of drugs and has a greater loading capacity than other drug-in-adhesive patch technologies. The TEPI Patch® also reduces drug wastage, with only around 30% of the drug left in the patch after use. The adhesive used in the device provides an enhanced patient-user experience being thin and comfortable with strong adhesion, yet painless removal, without leaving a residue.

Medherant’s TEPI Patch® overcomes many of the limitations that its current competitors have

While Medherant has completed non-clinical work on its lead product – the ibuprofen TEPI Patch®, the company is currently working with AdhexPharma to manufacture its product for clinical trials which are due to start in the spring of 2018. The fundraising for this was led by majority shareholder Mercia Technologies PLC with an investment of £2.5 million, and the balance coming from other existing shareholders as well as new private investors.

The company is currently working with AdhexPharma to manufacture its product for clinical trials which are due to start in the spring of 2018

Nigel Davis, Chief Executive Officer at Medherant, explains that the technology is generating global interest. “We are now working with several leading pharmaceutical companies to evaluate their drugs in our delivery system at the same time as we develop our own product pipeline”, he adds.

With 14 people employed at Medherant on the University of Warwick Science Park, the research and testing taking place are vital for further development of the novel device. This has the potential of revolutionising long-acting over-the-counter pain relief products. The TEPI Patch® could be used to treat common painful conditions, including that of chronic back pain, neuralgia, and arthritis – without the need of potentially damaging doses of oral drugs.