Advances in materials processing - technologies that include micromachining, nanoprocessing and structured film forming - are creating new devices and new opportunities for minimally invasive drug delivery. These advances have led to the development and introduction of devices that employ very small needles – microneedles – that deliver drugs by mechanically perforating the outer skin layer and allowing for transdermal absorption of the active compound. The processing techniques incorporate one or more technologies that enable the precise machining, extrusion, casting, and/or forming of from one to an array or grid of microneedles.
