Rapidly separable microneedle patches for controlled release of therapeutics for long-acting therapies

Despite the world’s combined efforts, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS, remains one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. High genetic variability of HIV complicates the development of anti-HIV vaccine, and there is an actual clinical need for increasing the efficiency of anti-HIV drugs in terms of targeted delivery and controlled release. Tenofovir (TFV), a nucleotide-analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor, has gained wide acceptance as a drug for pre-exposure prophylaxis or treatment of HIV infection. In our study, we explored the potential of tenofovir disoproxil (TFD) adducts with block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether and poly(ethylene phosphoric acid) (mPEG-b-PEPA) as candidates for developing a long-acting/controlled-release formulation of TFV. Two types of mPEG-b-PEPA with numbers of ethylene phosphoric acid (EPA) fragments of 13 and 49 were synthesized by catalytic ring-opening polymerization, and used for preparing four types of adducts with TFD. Antiviral activity of [mPEG-b-PEPA]TFD or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was evaluated using the model of experimental HIV infection in vitro (MT-4/HIV-1IIIB). Judging by the values of the selectivity index (SI), TFD exhibited an up to 14-fold higher anti-HIV activity in the form of mPEG-b-PEPA adducts, thus demonstrating significant promise for further development of long-acting/controlled-release injectable TFV formulations.

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Exenatide Microspheres for Monthly Controlled-Release Aided by Magnesium Hydroxide

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13060816 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 816

Author(s):

Yuxuan Ge ◽

Zhenhua Hu ◽

Jili Chen ◽

Yujie Qin ◽

Fei Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Controlled Release ◽

Dosage Form ◽

Continuous Phase ◽

Plga Microspheres ◽

Receptor Agonists ◽

Monkey Model ◽

The Matrix ◽

Glass Membrane ◽

The One ◽

Long Acting

GLP-1 receptor agonists are a class of diabetes medicines offering self-regulating glycemic efficacy and may best be administrated in long-acting forms. Among GLP-1 receptor agonists, exenatide is the one requiring the least dose so that controlled-release poly(d, l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres may best achieve this purpose. Based on this consideration, the present study extended the injection interval of exenatide microspheres from one week of the current dosage form to four weeks by simply blending Mg(OH)2 powder within the matrix of PLGA microspheres. Mg(OH)2 served as the diffusion channel creator in the earlier stage of the controlled-release period and the decelerator of the self-catalyzed degradation of PLGA (by the formed lactic and glycolic acids) in the later stage due to its pH-responsive solubility. As a result, exenatide gradually diffused from the microspheres through Mg(OH)2-created diffusion channels before degradation of the PLGA matrix, followed by a mild release due to Mg(OH)2-buffered degradation of the polymer skeleton. In addition, an extruding–settling process comprising squeezing the PLGA solution through a porous glass membrane and sedimentation-aided solidification of the PLGA droplets was used to prepare the microspheres to ensure narrow size distribution and 95% encapsulation efficiency in an aqueous continuous phase. A pharmacokinetic study using rhesus monkey model confirmed the above formulation design by showing a steady blood concentration profile of exenatide with reduced CMAX and dosage form index. Mg·(OH)2

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