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Bioerodible Technology
Bioerodible polymers are an important class of materials with potential
for both drug delivery and devices. The successful application of
such polymers requires that stringent criteria are met, such as
benign toxicity, ease of manufacturing, surface erosion, essentially
neutral internal pH, stability, complete bioerosion and the ability
to tailor polymer properties to meet specific purposes.
While a number of bioerodible polymers, notably poly(lactide-co-glycolide)
copolymers and polyanhydrides, and most recently poly(phospho esters),
have been developed, none of these systems successfully meets all
of the above criteria.
To meet this need, A.P. Pharma has developed families of bioerodible
polymers, each targeting specific purposes.
Parenteral
Drug Delivery |
Biochronomer
systems
Bioerodimer systems
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Controlled duration of
drug delivery |
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Controlled rate of drug delivery |
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Complete bioerosion |
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Simple/flexible fabrication |
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| Topical |
Commercial
Products |
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Three FDA-approved products |
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Adaptable to a wide variety of substances |
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Parenteral
A.P. Pharma is focused primarily on the development of its bioerodible
polymers for parenteral drug delivery, both injectable and implantable.
The Company has made substantial progress in developing these technologies,
opening up prospects for significant improvements over existing
approaches to drug delivery.
Specifically, the Company has developed two families of polymers,
each with unique attributes. The first family is known collectively
as poly(ortho esters) under the trademark Biochronomer™;
the second family is known collectively as block copolymers of poly(ortho
esters) and poly(ethylene glycol) under the trade name Bioerodimer™.
These two polymer families are covered by US 5,968,543, issued October
19, 1999 and US 5,939,453, issued August 17, 1999. Both are broad
composition of matter and use patents. A number of other patents
have been filed.
The major point of difference, compared to other polymer technologies,
is that the A.P. Pharma polymers have been specifically designed
as drug delivery vehicles. The Company has demonstrated that erosion
times can be varied from days to months and that properties can
be adjusted to produce materials ranging from a free-flowing injectable
gel at room temperature to hard solids. In addition, the manufacturing
of the polymer is simple and reproducible. The polymer is stable
at room temperature provided it is stored under anhydrous conditions.
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