The invention relates to plasters, particularly epicutaneous test plasters with at least one active substance absorbing or receiving device (14) arranged on a carrier film (32). The carrier film (12) is made from a highly elastic polymer material, which is impermeable for liquid water, but permeable for water vapour. On the surface remote from the skin, it is detachably connected in whole-area or partial area manner with a support film (11) at least covering the surface of the carrier film. The invention also relates to processes for the production thereof and the use thereof.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to plasters, particularly epicutaneous test plasters 
with at least one active substance receiving or absorbing device located 
on a carrier film as well as to a process for the production thereof and 
to the use thereof. 
Epicutaneous plasters are used in epicutaneous tests, which are used in 
particular for clarifying the causes of allergic contact dermatitis. For 
this purpose the test substance to be tested is applied to a test plaster, 
which is then applied to appropriate points of the patient's skin. The 
test plaster is then removed after a predetermined time. 
The first reading or observation of the patient's reaction to the active 
substance exposure takes place immediately following test plaster removal 
and then further readings or observations occur at given intervals of 
time. It is helpful to be able to mark the test points on the skin, so 
that it is possible to reliably find again the skin point contacted with 
the test substance. 
In principle, epicutaneous test plasters have the following structure. On a 
contact adhesive carrier layer are arranged active substance-absorbing 
devices in the form of absorptive textiles, e.g. of woven or non-woven 
fabric, or containers open towards the skin, or are formed in said carrier 
layer being able to absorb or take up the test substances. The test 
plaster surface to be contacted with the skin is covered with a removable 
protective layer prior to application. Hitherto flat textile materials, 
such as e.g. woven and non-woven fabrics, polymer or metal films and foils 
have been proposed as the carrier layer. The disadvantage of these 
materials is that the carrier materials have an inadequate elasticity to 
completely prevent the premature detachment of the test plaster from the 
skin through unavoidable body movements and avoid the irritations caused 
by rubbing on the active substance absorbing devices, which can simulate 
an allergic reaction. 
It is also desired, particularly in the case of Plasters which remain a 
long time on the skin, that they are on the one hand watertight, so that 
they are not damaged when the patient is washing or taking a shower, while 
on the other hand a permeability for water vapor is desired, in order to 
prevent maceration of the underlying skin layer. It has not been possible 
to realize this up to now. 
The problem of the present invention is therefore to provide a plaster, 
particularly an epicutaneous plaster, which avoids the aforementioned 
deficiencies of the known solution proposals. 
Surprisingly the problem has been solved in that the carrier film is made 
from a highly elastic polymer material, which is tight for liquid water, 
but permeable for water vapor and is detachably connected in whole-area 
manner or in partial surface portions on the surface remote from the skin 
to at least one support or backing film covering the surface of the 
carrier film. 
In order to fulfil the requirements regarding a carrier material of an 
epicutaneous test plaster with respect to elasticity, watertightness and 
water vapor permeability, one possibility is to reduce the thickness of 
the polymer film, but the use of extremely thin films with these desired 
characteristics for such plaster types has failed up to now due to the 
difficulty of handling said films. They have a very limited flexural 
rigidity, being so-to-speak flabby, crease very easily and therefore tend 
to adhere to themselves on application. In order to permit the use of such 
films for plasters, particularly epicutaneous test plasters, the invention 
makes use of a surface stabilization, in which the extremely thin film is 
reinforced by joining to a thicker, more rigid, second film until 
application has taken place. This surface-stabilizing film is referred to 
as the support film and has at least the size of the film to be 
stabilized. Advantageously it is allowed to project over the film to be 
stabilized on at least one side, so as to provide a gripping or handling 
edge for the subsequent removal of the support film. 
According to another preferred realization of the invention the support 
film projects so far over the edge of the carrier film that, parallel to 
said edge, is offered space for a contact adhesive marking strip separated 
from the carrier film and which on application of the active substance 
absorbing device it adheres alongside the same to the skin and, following 
the removal of the plaster, preferably remains on the skin and is 
available for marking the test point. 
Said marking strip can e.g. be colored. The epicutaneous test plasters 
according to the invention can be in the form of individual plasters, i.e. 
with only a single active substance absorbing device, but preferably have 
several active substance absorbing devices arranged in accordance with a 
predetermined geometrical pattern and preferably in rows. Between the 
individual active substance absorbing devices can be provided 
predetermined breaking lines, which permit an easy separation of a plaster 
with the desired number of active substance absorbing devices from a 
longer plaster web. 
The carrier film which is impermeable to liquid water and permeable to 
water vapor to be used according to the invention has a suitable polymer, 
examples of which are polyurethanes, polyvinylchlorides, polyvinylidene 
chlorides, polyvinyl alcohols, polypropylene, polyamides, 
ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers, polyesters, polycarbonates, 
polyvinylfluoride and other fluorine-containing polymers. 
Polyurethane-based carrier films are particularly preferred. The layer 
thicknesses of suitable carrier films are in the range 5 to 120 pm, 
preferably 10 to 50 .mu.m. Their water vapor permeability should be at 
least 300 g/m.sup.2 /24 hours. 
The one or multi-layer support film preferably contains suitable polymers, 
or also metals. Suitable polymers are e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, 
polyamides and polyesters. Optionally said films are siliconized on the 
skin side, in order to obtain the necessary separating force between the 
carrier film and the support film. The film thickness can be 20 to 200 pm, 
preferably 30 to 80 pm. The gripping edge optionally formed on the support 
film must be sufficiently wide to ensure easy handling. Preferably the 
support film is not detachably connected to the carrier film by adhesion 
and instead the connection is brought about by mechanical coherence, which 
is e.g. obtained if the carrier film is produced directly on the support 
film by extrusion, molding or some other film production procedure. In the 
case of coextrusion of both films it must be conversely ensured that the 
two films can be separated from one another. The skin side of the carrier 
film is covered with a contact adhesive layer for which purpose the known 
physiologically unobjectionable contact adhesive materials are suitable. 
Examples are rubber, rubber-like synthetic homopolymers, copolymers and 
block polymers, polyacrylates and their copolymers, polyurethanes and 
silicones. The surface application of the contact adhesive is between 15 
and 80 g/m.sup.2, preferably between 30 and 50 g/m.sup.2. 
The active substance absorbing devices are preferably portions, such as 
circular disks or other surface shapes of absorptive material, such as 
e.g. paper, woven and non-woven fabrics and gel-like polymers, which can 
supply the active substance to the skin or comprise a small shell or dish 
for receiving the active substance, such as a test substance. They are 
fixed in per se known manner to the contact adhesive layer. In order to 
prevent an unintentional migration of the liquid active substance or 
active substance formulation from the active substance absorbing or 
receiving devices, the latter can be covered with a film ring dimensioned 
in such a way that with half its width it covers the active substance 
absorbing device and with the other half is fixed to the contact adhesive 
layer, without impairing the skin contact surface of the active substance 
absorbing device. 
The plaster is preferably covered on the contact adhesive side by a 
protective layer prior to application. This protective layer can be in one 
or more parts and adjacent parts can overlap in order to form a gripping 
aid for removing the protective layer. In principle, all materials 
suitable for the support film can be used for the optionally multicoat 
protective layer. However, it is also possible to use in exemplified 
manner polytetrafluoroethylene, cellophane, polyvinylchloride, treated 
papers, metal foils and polymer-coated metal foils. The substance weight 
is 50 to 200 g/m.sup.2, preferably 80 to 150 g/m.sup. 2. The protective 
layer side in contact with the contact adhesive layer must permit a 
removal of the protective layer from the remainder of the plaster with a 
force smaller than that required for removing the support film from the 
carrier film.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The cross-section of a preferred embodiment of an inventive epicutaneous 
test plaster 10 diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1 reveals a support film 
11, which projects over one edge of the carrier film 12 and therefore 
forms a gripping or handling portion at the time of application. The 
contact adhesive layer 13 has the same dimensions as the carrier film 12. 
The active substance absorbing or receiving device 14 and the locking ring 
15 are fixed to the contact adhesive layer. A two-part protective layer 16 
covers the entire plaster up to the time of application. A removal aid is 
formed through the overlapping of the two parts of the protective layer. 
The gripping portion 11' of support film 11 can be seen in the plan view of 
the skin side of an inventive plaster 10 with the protective layer 
removed. The plaster 10 has in this case five active substance absorbing 
devices 14, which are arranged in rows and which are fixed together with 
the locking ring 15 to the contact adhesive layer 13. 
FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows a cross-section through another preferred 
embodiment according to the invention. A marking strip 37 is provided in 
the projecting edge 31' of support film 31 and, like the latter is covered 
with an adhesive layer 33. The further construction with the active 
substance absorbing device 34, locking ring 35 and protective layer 36 is 
in accordance with FIG. 1. 
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the skin side of the epicutaneous test plaster of 
FIG. 3 without the protective layer. It is possible to see the projecting 
edge 31' of support film 31, the skin side 38 of the adhesive layer 
visible through the gap between the contact adhesive carrier film 32 and 
the marking strip 37, the active substance absorbing device 34 and the 
locking ring 35. 
The production of the novel means, particularly suitable as epicutaneous 
test plasters can, according to the invention, take place through 
producing a web-like carrier film by applying a polymer solution directly 
to a web-like support film and evaporating the solvent or solvents. 
Another preferred method is the formation of a laminate of support film 
and carrier film by coextrusion. The process parameters must be adjusted 
in such a way that the subsequently necessary separability of the two 
films is ensured. To the skin side of the thus obtained laminate is 
applied a contact adhesive layer by a known process, e.g. a transfer 
process and to which are fixed disk-like active substance absorbing 
devices in two rows having the desired spacing and which are parallel to 
the edge. Said devices are then centrally provided with film material 
locking rings and the edges of the rings projecting over the devices are 
fixed to the contact adhesive layer. Parallel to the outer edges of the 
web are then removed by a depth-controlled punching or cutting operation, 
in each case one strip from the carrier film with contact adhesive, so 
that an adhesive-free gripping edge is provided on the support film. For 
the protection of the plaster, a three-part protective layer passes over 
the width of the web. Either the middle part overlaps the two outer parts, 
or the outer parts overlap the middle part, in order to facilitate 
detachment again prior to use. For assembly purposes, the thus obtained 
laminate web is cut centrally, accompanied by the formation of two 
epicutaneous test plaster strips, which are cut to length in accordance 
with the desired number of active substance absorbing devices. However, 
they can also be wound onto a roll, or placed in Leporello fold form. 
Prior to the separation of the wide fabric, if desired, a predetermined 
breaking line can be provided at certain intervals at right angles to the 
web direction and this permits manual removal of the appropriate length 
without additional tools. 
For the production of another preferred embodiment of the epicutaneous test 
plaster, during depth-controlled punching or cutting in the aforementioned 
process, a marking strip of carrier film material and contact adhesive is 
formed, which is separate from the carrier film and is still adhering to 
the support film. 
The following example illustrates the production process, but the invention 
is in no way limited thereto. 
EXAMPLE 
A 70 .mu.m thick, web-like polypropylene film (1050 mm wide) siliconized on 
one side is so coated by means of a roll application mechanism with a 
mixture of 100 parts by weight of a 30% by weight solution of a polyester 
urethane adduct based on toluylene diisocyanate in ethyl acetate (Bayer, 
Impranil C), 7.5 parts by weight of a 75% by weight solution of a 
crosslinking agent based on polyols and aromatic diisocyanate in ethyl 
acetate (Bayer, Imprafix TH), 5 parts by weight of a 10% by weight 
solution of an accelerator of an organic nitrogen derivative and an 
organometallic compound in a 1:4:4 mixture of ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl 
ketone/toluene (Bayer, Imprafix BE) and 75.7 parts by weight of ethyl 
acetate, that after evaporating the solvent at 30.degree. to 70.degree. 
C., a 42 .mu.m thick polyurethane film is obtained. 
On a silicone paper by means of roll application from a mixture of 100 
parts by weight of an acrylate solution (Durotak 280 - 2516 of National 
Starch & Chemical BV) and 3 parts by weight of Hercolyn (Hercules) and 
subsequent evaporation of the solvent at 50.degree. to 90.degree. C., a 40 
.mu.m thick contact adhesive layer is produced and coated round the 
support film/carrier film laminate. The thus obtained wide fabric is cut 
to a width of 92 mm. 
Disk-like active substance absorbing devices with a diameter of 15 mm and 
punched from binder-free non-woven fabric (40% staple fibre/60% cotton, 80 
g/m.sup.2) with a one-sided polyethylene coating are pressed in parallel 
rows (spacing 40 mm), with a spacing of 27.5 mm by the polyethylene side 
onto the contact adhesive layer. In the next stage the active substance 
absorbing devices are provided with polyester film locking rings (internal 
diameter 10 mm, external diameter 21 mm), a 6 mm wide margin or border 
being fixed to the adhesive layer. 
The gripping edge is then produced on the support film in that in a 
distance of 10 mm parallel to the edges of the web, the carrier film with 
the contact adhesive layer is separated by a depth-controlled cutting 
process and the resulting strips drawn off. The web is then centrally cut 
open, so that two epicutaneous test plaster strips are formed, which are 
wound onto a roll. 
Thus it is seen that the invention comprehends an epicutaneous test plaster 
comprising at least one active characterized in that the carrier film 
(12,32) is made from a highly elastic polymer material which is 
impermeable for liquid water but permeable for water vapor, the carrier 
film having a skin side carrying said active substance absorbing device 
and a skin-remote surface which is detachably connected over at least a 
partial area thereof to a support film (11,31) for at least covering the 
surface of the carrier film.