Get ready to upgrade your over-the-counter meds: A team of researchers has created an ibuprofen patch that can relieve pain for up to 12 hours, reports Gizmodo. Swallowing pills is so yesterday.
The University of Warwick researchers teamed up with medical company Medherant to create the patch. Once applied, it will deliver the drug directly to the area where it's needed. Then, it can be worn for up to 12 hours, continuously releasing ibuprofen (a.k.a. the drug found in Advil and Motrin). The patch could be perfect for people with chronic pain issues.
In pill form, ibuprofen can definitely help relieve pain, but in large doses (or when taken regularly for a long period of time), it can cause problems for your stomach lining or liver. However, because this patch bypasses your digestive system, researchers hope it can deliver the same pain-busting punch while sparing you these (rare) side effects.
We've already seen the same idea at work in the treatment of migraines: Back in September, we wrote about the release of the Zecuity patch, which delivers sumatriptan (a drug commonly used to treat migraines) over a period of four hours.
Unfortunately, you can't buy the ibuprofen patch yet. According to the press release, you'll have to wait at least two years before you can grab one, so don't toss those pill bottles from your period arsenal.
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