P.L.E.A.S.E. is the polite and painless way to deliver drugs with lasers

Needles? Ouch. Pills? Yuck. Lasers? Awesome! This, we figure, is how a new means of delivering drugs was born. Pantec Biosolutions AG has created a device it calls the Painless Laser Epidermal System, or P.L.E.A.S.E. (We're not sure where the last E comes from, either.) P.L.E.A.S.E. is a means to deliver drugs via laser, effectively blasting tiny holes in your skin through which medication is absorbed, as demonstrated in a soothingly orchestrated video. The process is, apparently, completely painless both for the recipient and the deliverer too, thanks to a fancy touchscreen UI. The device has received marketing authorization, meaning it's able to be sold in Europe, but there is naturally no price or availability listed, so for now you'll just have to take your medicine the old fashioned way.

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Pantec Biosolutions' P.L.E.A.S.E. Professional® Receives Marketing Authorisation

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 12:00 am

Ruggell, Liechtenstein, 1 June 2010- Pantec Biosolutions AG, a privately-owned company developing innovative technologies for transdermal drug delivery, today announced that it has received a CE mark in the EU for the new professional product line of the Company's transdermal delivery device: P.L.E.A.S.E.® (Painless Laser Epidermal System).

P.L.E.A.S.E. Professional® is an affordable portable benchtop system with a diode pumped Er:YAG fractional ablative laser. Compared with the currently marketed lamp pumped systems, P.L.E.A.S.E. Professional® is a small, lightweight and very cost efficient device with a variety of applications in conventional and aesthetic dermatology and in general medicine. P.L.E.A.S.E. Professional® allows precise intraepidermal microporation in connection with improved transdermal drug delivery of new or existing drugs. This class 1 laser device requires little maintenance and clinicians using it have no need for safety protection.

"P.L.E.A.S.E.® has already demonstrated its clinical utility and we are delighted now to have a CE Mark that will allow us to make the technology available widely in the form of P.L.E.A.S.E. Professional®," said Christof Boehler, CEO of Pantec Biosolutions. "This is an important milestone for Pantec as this device will unlock therapeutic areas with high unmet need for easy-to-use, efficient, and painless application of biologicals. We plan to start a number of clinical studies looking at a variety of applications in the coming months including trials looking at the more efficient delivery of small molecule drugs."

The rigorous audit that must be completed before awarding a CE Mark is based on a conformity assessment procedure and thoroughly scrutinizes product development and production documentation to ensure compliance to the medical device directive (MDD). Medical devices are required to bear a CE mark before they can be sold in member countries of the European Economic Area (EEA).

About Pantec Biosolutions and P.L.E.A.S.E.®
Pantec Biosolutions AG is a private drug delivery company specialised in using laser microporation technology to deliver large molecular weight drugs into the epidermis for local or systemic uptake. Its proprietary P.L.E.A.S.E.® (Painless Laser Epidermal System) platform enables efficient, needle-free and painless administration of biopharmaceutical drugs, in varying and individualised dosages, through partnered patch technology. The technology is currently in clinical trials for the delivery of IVF hormone therapy, a market with an estimated value of US$1.5 – 2 billion.

Pantec Biosolutions' P.L.E.A.S.E.® platform is available both for the development of the Company's own pipeline and for penetration into new markets through strategic partnerships. Pantec Biosolutions is based in Ruggell, Liechtenstein.

[Sepirioth Posted Jun 3rd 2010 11:39AM]

Techie "junkies" rejoice! *drum cymbal sound*

[BuzzMega Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:04PM]

Painless Laser EpidermAl SystEm. Should have been PLES. They worked entirely too hard on the name. Somebody's niece, I think.

Just try typing P.L.E.A.S.E. a bunch of times real fast. They should have called it the iDose.

[spaz4322 Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:39PM]

I for one am really looking forward to this technology, I have always had an issue with doctors and their needles, im not sure why exactly but I always pass out multiple times for blood drawings, allergy tests etc... before they can get the needle in.

oddly enough its only doctors needles, all my tattoos and piercings im fine with never had any issues, so its clearly something mental :)

[THJ Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:42PM]

OMG, this + the Orgazmorator and I'd be set for life.

[iucidium Posted Jun 3rd 2010 12:45PM]

...Quietus...

[acgrobman Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:36PM]

win

[Loonie Posted Jun 3rd 2010 1:44PM]

An acronym within an acronym! You know you're dealing with some advanced science.

[DeAthWaGer Posted Jun 3rd 2010 3:04PM]

Anything that reduces the amount of needles needed in this world is a very, very good thing.

I've seen needles washed up on shores in foreign countries. It's very, very tragic.

There are sharps collectors in mall bathrooms that heroin addicts are desperate enough to steal from. Yeah, it's disgusting, but true, and you know they're getting and SPREADING all types of diseases from them.

The closer we are to no longer needing needles the better.

[Valicore Posted Jun 3rd 2010 3:44PM]

I

[MAS Posted Jun 3rd 2010 5:07PM]

Is it just me, or does this look like it was designed by Norelco's electric razor division?

[pogohackykid Posted Jun 3rd 2010 6:29PM]

I saw this about 2 years ago in popular science...It was only a concept then and it looked like a pistol...I'll try and find an image.

[pogohackykid Posted Jun 3rd 2010 6:33PM]

@pogohackykid maybe it was five years ago and I forgot what it looked like.....

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-11/powdermed-pmed

[exclen Posted Jun 4th 2010 3:45AM]

seems almost like a hypospray to me. . .