Glatiramer Acetate Injection Schedule for MS

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, such as daily subcutaneous injections of glatiramer acetate, are inconvenient and often lead to frequent injection-site reactions, reducing patient tolerability and compliance.

Innovation Solution

Administering three subcutaneous injections of glatiramer acetate over a period of seven days with at least one day between each injection, reducing the frequency of injections and potentially alleviating symptoms by minimizing relapses and MRI-monitored disease activity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If daily subcutaneous injections of glatiramer acetate are administered, then therapeutic efficacy is maintained, but injection frequency and patient burden increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapeutic efficacyVSAvoidinjection convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies periodic action by transitioning from continuous daily injections to intermittent injections spaced at intervals (e.g., twice weekly or three times weekly). This periodic administration pattern maintains therapeutic efficacy while significantly reducing the frequency and burden of injections, directly resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability and improving ease of operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Reliability

If daily injections are administered, then disease control is optimized, but injection-site reactions increase in frequency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisease controlVSAvoidinjection-site reactions
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

By implementing periodic action with extended intervals between injections (twice weekly or three times weekly instead of daily), the patent reduces the cumulative frequency of injection-site reactions while preserving disease control efficacy, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliable disease control and minimizing harmful local effects

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Ease of operation

If injection frequency is reduced, then patient tolerability improves, but therapeutic efficacy may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepatient tolerabilityVSAvoidtherapeutic efficacy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent successfully applies periodic action by establishing optimal injection intervals (twice weekly or three times weekly) that maintain therapeutic efficacy comparable to daily administration while significantly improving patient tolerability. Clinical data in the patent confirms that these periodic regimens achieve equivalent disease control, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

4Object-affected harmful factors

If three injections per week are administered, then injection-site reactions are reduced, but administration complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinjection-site reactionsVSAvoidadministration schedule complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the weekly injection schedule into distinct, spaced-out administration days (e.g., Monday and Wednesday, or Monday/Wednesday/Friday). This segmentation reduces injection-site reactions by allowing tissue recovery between injections while maintaining a simple, memorable schedule that does not significantly increase administrative complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9402874B2Low frequency glatiramer acetate therapy
Publication Date: 2016.08.02 YEDA RES & DEV CO LTD

AI summary

A method of alleviating a symptom of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in a human patient suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis or a patient who has experienced a first clinical episode and is determined to be at high risk of developing clinically definite multiple sclerosis comprising administering to the human patient three subcutaneous injections of a therapeutically effective dose of glatiramer acetate over a period of seven days with at least one day between every subcutaneous injection so as to thereby alleviate the symptom of the patient.