Is It Time You Knew More About Biodegradable Polymers For Parenteral Drug Delivery?

By Dr. Tom Tice, Senior Director, Global Technical Marketing, Evonik Health Care, and Dr. Whitney Moro, Analytical and Quality Control Manager, LACTEL® polymers, Evonik Health Care

Functional lactide/glycolide polymers play a key role in complex parenteral drug delivery products. They are often referred to as ‘smart’ materials, as their tunability drives the performance of parenteral dosage forms. Using these polymers, formulators can deliberately change drug impact by prolonging drug release in patients and offering long-acting or extended-release options.

Long-acting, complex drug delivery products, particularly those based on injectable microparticles, nanoparticles and implants, are among the most attractive parenteral products in the pharmaceutical industry – more than 50 products on the market worldwide. In fact, long-acting injectables (LAIs) that use bioabsorbable polymers for systemic and local drug delivery are receiving a lot of attention today, improving the lives of millions of patients globally, thanks to successful outcomes for the treatment of schizophrenia, diabetes, substance abuse, cancer, and ocular, rare and hormonal diseases. These products have many advantages, such as simplifying the drug regimen by decreasing dosing frequency, helping to improve efficacy, improving treatment adherence, and releasing beneficial agents locally, including in knee joints and within the eye for example.

So how do you use LG polymers to design these clocks and distribute the drugs for maximum effectiveness at the right time?