A painless sticking plaster flu jab has passed important safety tests in the first trial in people.
The patch has 100 tiny hair-like microneedles on its adhesive side that penetrate the skin’s surface.
It is simple enough for people to stick on themselves and does not need to be kept in the fridge, unlike the standard flu jab.
It offers the same protection as a regular vaccine, according to its developers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
A paper on the patch trials published in the Lancet says: “Microneedle patches provide an alternative to conventional needle-and-syringe immunisation, and potentially offer improved immunogenicity, simplicity, cost-effectiveness and safety.
“[In this paper] we describe safety, immunogenicity, and acceptability of the first-in-man study on single, dissolvable microneedle patch vaccination against influenza.”
The patch has been tested alongside flu injections in a trial with 100 volunteers. Some had the regular shot in the arm, while others applied the microneedle patch to their wrist for 20 minutes.
Most said using the patch was painless, but some had mild side effects.
These included redness, itching and tenderness in the area of skin where it had been applied.
