TRANSDERMAL ADMINISTRATION OF MORPHINE TO HEALTHY-SUBJECTS

1 Twelve healthy subjects received 10 mg morphine HCl delivered transdermally from an occlusive reservoir applied to a small area of skin, painlessly de-epithelialised by vacuum suction. On a separate occasion, 10 mg morphine HCl was given as an i.v. infusion over 20 min. 2 Venous blood samples were collected serially for 72 h and assayed for morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) by h.p.l.c. Pupil size, salivation, and central nervous effects (nausea, fatigue, headache, feeling of heaviness and dysphoria/euphoria) were also measured. 3 After transdermal application morphine was absorbed by a first-order process to produce relatively constant plasma drug concentrations over 11 h. The absolute bioavailability of transdermal morphine was 75% (65-85%; 95% CI). The plasma concentrations of both M6G and M3G were lower after transdermal administration than after i.v. infusion, and a considerable delay (of up to 1 h) was observed before the metabolites were detectable. AUC ratios for M3G and M6G relative to morphine were similar after both modes of administration. 4 Non-analgesic effects were less pronounced at the lower plasma drug and metabolite concentrations observed after transdermal delivery than after the i.v. infusion of morphine. 5 Transdermal administration of morphine warrants investigation as an alternative route of morphine delivery.