Adhesive laminate sections, or patches, can be used for a variety of purposes, including wound protection and/or treatment, continuous transdermal administration of an active ingredient (e.g., a drug), or combinations thereof.
In general, an adhesive patch comprises a support or backing that can be made of a cloth, a plastic film, or the like, and an adhesive layer laminated on the backing. The adhesive patch is generally provided with a release liner laminated on the adhesive layer and packaged in a package (e.g., made of a resin film).
Adhesive patches are often prepared by stamping or cutting the patches from a larger master roll or “jumbo” that is many times longer and may also be wider than an individual patch. This process of forming a master roll may be more convenient and efficient than trying to produce many individual patches on a piece-by-piece basis, but the subsequent stamping or cutting process generally results in production of waste material. The amount of waste material and the degree of undesirability of such waste will vary depending on the type of material and the nature of the patches that are created.
As an example, transdermal drug delivery devices often consist of a drug containing adhesive patch, a so-called “drug-in-adhesive” patch. The adhesive is placed in contact with a skin surface when in use and the drug passes from the device into the skin. Such devices typically have a release liner that protects the adhesive during storage and which is typically removed just before application of the device to the skin. In some instances it is desirable to use a release liner with a larger surface area than the adhesive portion of the device, as this may make the device easier to handle by a patient and/or may improve the storage stability of the device. Such devices are often referred to as having an extended release liner.
A typical production process for transdermal drug delivery devices in which a master roll is formed and subsequently converted by stamping or cutting individual devices for subsequent packaging and distribution to a patient leaves waste with the same composition as the devices (i.e., containing drug) that must be disposed. Production of devices having an extended liner requires additional converting steps and generates additional waste material.