ZERO-ORDER PROLONGED RELEASE COAXIAL IMPLANTS

• Main Authors: HOLL, RICHARD J, MEADOR, STACEY, GIBSON, JOHN W, TIPTON, ARTHUR J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 14.08.2012
• Subjects: BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, ORSURGICAL ARTICLES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF,TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, E.G. STENTS; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION, OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; FIRST-AID KITS; FOMENTATION; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICALARTICLES; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS INGENERAL; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROSTHESES; SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS ORMEDICINAL PREPARATIONS; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS

A coaxial implant has been developed using entirely biodegradable polymeric materials. As referred to herein, a coaxial implant is a device having a core containing drug, surrounded by a semi-permeable membrane that controls the rate of release from the core. The device is formed by extrusion, using a pre-milling and extruding step to maximize uniformity of drug dispersion within the polymeric material. In one embodiment, the polymer is processed to yield a semi-crystalline polymer, rather than an amorphous polymer. The core containing the drug and the polymer membrane(s) can be the same or different polymer. The polymer can be the same or different composition (i.e., both polycaprolactone, or both poly(lactide-co-glycolide) of different monomer ratios, or polycaprolactone outside of a core of poly(lactide)), of the same or different molecular weights, and of the same or different chemical structure (i.e., crystalline, semi-crystalline or amorphous). The core acts as a reservoir of drug, which partitions from the core polymer to form a saturated solution of at least 10% drug at the polymer membrane.