Patent ID: 7456159

Claim:
A method of adjusting the blood level profile or permeation of a drug from a transdermal drug delivery composition, comprising: (a) selecting a parent drug and a corresponding prodrug, wherein the parent drug is a steroid and the prodrug is a corresponding steroid derivative that provides a source of therapeutically active steroid; (b) combining the parent drug and prodrug in a carrier that includes at least one pressure-sensitive adhesive, wherein the steroid and corresponding steroid derivative are present in a wt/wt ratio of from 10:1 to 1:10 steroid: corresponding steroid derivative; (c) measuring the permeation and/or blood level profile of the drug; (d) adjusting at least one of: (i) the selection of the corresponding prodrug and (ii) the relative concentration of the parent drug and prodrug, wherein the parent drug is a steroid comprising a steroid ring with a free hydroxy group at position 3, 11 or 17 and the prodrug is a corresponding steroid derivative where the free hydroxy group at the 3, 11 or 17 position has been reacted with an alcohol moiety.