Nitto Denko, a Japanese materials manufacturer, has acquired all the assets of Altea Therapeutics, a creator of transdermal drug delivery systems.

Among the assets Nitto Denko will acquire—including patents, trademarks and laboratory equipment—the company will gain Altea’s Active Transdermal Therapeutic System (TTS) technology. The delivery system, which physically enhances the skin’s ability to absorb medical compounds, will allow Nitto Denko to meet growing needs in the medical field and help improve the quality of life for patients across the globe.

In the past Nitto Denko has had great success with the development and marketing of transdermal drug delivery patches. These patches can be self-applied and allow the controlled release of medications directly into the patient's skin. Patches are able to deliver drugs into the patient's bloodstream over a prolonged period of time and at a stable release rate, thereby largely eliminating side effects and vastly improving effectiveness. Nitto Denko currently has the highest global market share for conventional transdermal drug delivery patches for asthma and angina and is seeking to advance its technologies into other conditions.

With the acquisition of Altea, Nitto Denko will now be able to offer a solution, called the PassPort System, which will allow a wider range of medications to be delivered transdermally by combining thermal micro-poration and patch technologies. With this acquisition Nitto Denko provides product opportunities in addition to traditional transdermal drug delivery technologies which provide additional convenience, safety and cost effectiveness.