Developing an alternative to opioids: UA professor’s research gains $2 million state grant and interest of large drug company

Story excerpt provided by Akron Beacon Journal.

Written by Katie Byard.

Researchers at the University of Akron say a device that looks like a piece of tape could be a groundbreaking weapon in the fight against the opioid epidemic.

Scientists at UA, led by polymer science professor Matthew Becker, have developed a degradable polymer film, or mesh, containing a non-opioid pain medicine.

It’s designed to be implanted in the body and then release the medicine after surgery.

“This could be on the market as early as next year. We are already working with one drug company,” said Arthur Alfaro, CEO of 21MedTech, a company founded by Becker and others to commercialize degradable polymer technologies for medical applications.

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Originally published January 16, 2018.