Vaccines could soon be administered by sending plasters through the mail, effectively spelling the end of the childhood vaccine.
A landmark trial found that the patches, which penetrate the skin painlessly, were as effective as conventional injections against measles and rubella.
Doctors hope the painless alternative to the needle and syringe will encourage more parents to vaccinate their children, preventing outbreaks like those seen in the West Midlands and London.
The findings suggest that the patches do not need to be administered by trained medical staff, which could take responsibility away from GPs.
Known as microarray patches, the vaccine is administered with a series of microscopic projections that penetrate the top layer of the skin instead of a conventional injection.
A landmark trial found that the patches, which penetrate the skin painlessly, were as effective as conventional injections against measles and rubella. In the photo, a Gambian child with a microarray patch applied to his wrist.
The findings suggest that the patches do not need to be administered by trained medical staff, which could take responsibility away from GPs. In the photo, a Gambian healthcare worker holds a microarray patch of the type used in the study.
While liquid vaccines require constant refrigeration to remain effective (along with trained professionals to safely inject and dispose of syringes), patches are more thermostable, easier to transport, and require minimal training to administer.
This would make delivery to hard-to-reach areas in the UK (and around the world) much easier, according to findings published in The Lancet.
The trial involved 120 babies aged nine to 10 months, 120 toddlers aged 15 to 18 months and 45 adults aged 18 to 40 years in The Gambia.
Placed on the arm, they found that the microarray patch induced an immune response that was as strong as the response when the vaccine was administered with a needle.
More than nine out of ten babies were protected against measles and all babies were protected against rubella after a single dose of the vaccine administered using the microarray patch.
Millions of children around the world have received the measles and rubella vaccine used in the study by conventional injection and it is known to provide reliable protection.
But in the first trial to test the microarray patches, they were found to be just as effective and there were no safety concerns.
In low-resource settings, this method is easier to transport and would eliminate, or greatly reduce, the need for refrigeration of vaccines, which are major barriers to reaching remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Unlike conventional needles and syringes, microarray patches do not risk puncture injuries that can transmit infections such as hepatitis and HIV.
Professor Ed Clarke, pediatrician who leads the Vaccines and Immunity theme at the Gambia MRC Unit at LSHTM and co-author, said: “Although it is early days, these are extremely promising results that have generated a lot of excitement.
“They demonstrate for the first time that vaccines can be safely and effectively administered to infants and young children using microarray patch technology.
“Measles vaccines are the highest priority for delivery using this approach, but delivery of other vaccines using microarray patches is now also realistic. Watch this space.’
Researchers say larger trials of microarray patches are now being planned to inform decisions about whether to recommend the patches for widespread use in childhood vaccination programs.
He added: “Are numerous vaccines being studied, including flu and Covid, which could even lead to patches in the mail that people could apply themselves in the future?”