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Science works fast, especially when it comes to adhesives. A few years back, the BBC Wildlife magazine published a little story on gecko lizards. They referred to the little creatures as c

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ling kings because they’re known to cling to surfaces even when the surface is held upside down. The year was 2002, and scientists were just beginning to speculate that the trick wasn’t in

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

what appeared to be little suction cups on their toes and feet as had always been believed. In fact, the scientists continued, those little suction pads were too small to generate enough

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

suction to adhere them to any surface. No, suction didn’t account for the adhesive quality of the little gecko.

Nor, apparently, did capillary action, nor static electricity. In fact, the

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

article concluded, the gecko sticks to surfaces by molecular adhesion. And that adhesive is strong. Scientists estimate that a gecko’s adhesive would stay adhered to the ceiling even if i

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

t were wearing a 40kg rucksack on its back. Over the past several years, scientists in various industrial adhesives laboratories have been trying to figure out exactly how this effect work

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

s, and how to duplicate it. Now it appears that it’s been done. Scientists at BAE Systems, an aeronautics and defence firm, have created an adhesive that they call Synthetic Gecko, and tha

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

t others are referring to as ‘gecko glue’.

The gecko adhesive is made of polymer, and is reusable, say the scientists who developed the stuff. And it’s strong – just one metre square of t

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

he industrial adhesive could hang your family’s car from the ceiling of your kitchen. It will stick to just about anything, including dirty surfaces, and it will stay stuck until it’s peel

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

ed off – at which point, it can be reapplied without losing any of its adhesive qualities or power. There are stronger glues out there, scientists admit, but this one is reusable, and it d

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

oesn’t feel sticky to the touch.

The secret is in the structure of Synthetic Gecko. The polyamide surface is covered with millions of mushroom like stalks that mimic the tiny cups on the

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

pads of gecko feet called setae. This isn’t the first adhesive made to mimic the gecko foot. Back in 2003, a group of Manchester researchers produced a similar product which they called ‘g

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

ecko tape’. They demonstrated the effectiveness of the new dry adhesive by suspending a toy action figure of superhero Spiderman from a ceiling. They’d considered suspending a human, one o

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

f the team admitted, but the amount needed would have been far too costly to produce.

The Bristol team at BAE Systems has worked their way around the cost by using a modified version of t

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

he process used to make silicon chips to create the tiny setae on the polymer surface. The process is well-known and understood, and can be done cheaply to run up to a very large scale, ma

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

king production of Synthetic Gecko a financially viable proposition.

Needless to say, this gecko like glue is causing quite a stir in the industrial adhesives industry. The possibilities

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

for its use as an industrial adhesive are broad. Already there is speculation that it could be used to attach aeroplane wings, make skin graft or create Spiderman like suits that would let

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

window-washers scramble up the sides of buildings without the use of a ladder. Imagine super grip tyres, safety harnesses and instant repair patches for nearly anything. The uses are stil

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

l potentially years off, say most scientists, and even then Synthetic gecko is unlikely to replace other types of industrial adhesives. Each has its own use and its own unique advantages a

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

nd disadvantages. Still, the possibilities are profound for the new dry adhesive. From medicine to construction, it may offer a great many changes in the way that things are stuck together

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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