There is a new lubricant being developed that could markedly improve the quality of life for catheter users around the world. The new product is called Uroglide and is an all-new coating being developed at Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland.
The new lubricant is designed to make the insertion easier and much less painful. Experts hope that the new lubricant will reduce the risk of infection and inflammation. There are at least 26,000 intermittent catheter users in the UK and several hundred thousand in the US who must insert and remove disposable catheters up to eight times per day.
The Uroglide technology was developed by Prof Colin McCoy, from Queen’s University’s School of Pharmacy, and Dr Nicola Irwin, the key scientist for the project. According to McCoy, the process of intermittent self-catheterization has become very common. This is because of a lower chance of infection and also with the higher level of personal independence with this type of product.
There are at least 600 million of these catheters sold annually around the world. However, regular insertion of inadequately lubricated catheters is very painful and can lead to many urinary complications. These can include bleeding and inflammation.
Coatings that are used now often dry out rapidly and have evolved very little in the last 10 years.
The goal with the new lubricant is to have a coating that is cheaper, stays wet longer, is slicker and adheres more strongly to the catheter.