Ocular implant made by a double extrusion process
AssigneeAllergan, Inc.
InventorsJane-Guo Shiah, Rahul Bhagat, Wendy M. Blanda, Thierry Nivaggioli, Lin Peng, David Chou, David A. Weber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides biodegradable implants sized for implantation in an ocular region and methods for treating medical conditions of the eye. The implants are formed from a mixture of hydrophilic end and hydrophobic end PLGA, and deliver active agents into an ocular region without a high burst release.
Claims19
A method for treating uveitis or macular edema in the eye of a patient, the method comprising implanting into an ocular region of an eye of a patient in need thereof a bioerodible implant comprising particles of an active agent dispersed within a biodegradable polymer matrix, wherein
- at least 75% of the particles of the active agent have a diameter of less than 20 μm,
- the biodegradable polymer comprises poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid (PLGA) copolymer comprising a first hydrophilic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid copolymer, and a second hydrophobic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid copolymer,
- the ratio of lactic to glycolic acid monomers in the PLGA copolymer is 50/50 weight percentage, and
- the bioerodible implant is prepared by milling the biodegradable polymer and subjecting the active agent and the biodegradable polymer to a double extrusion process.
A method for treating uveitis or macular edema in the eye of a patient in need thereof, the method comprising implanting into an ocular region of the eye of the patient a bioerodible implant comprising particles of a steroidal anti-inflammatory agent dispersed within a biodegradable polymer matrix, wherein:
- at least 75% of the particles of the steroidal anti-inflammatory agent have a diameter of less than 20 μm;
- (ii) the biodegradable polymer matrix comprises a first hydrophilic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid copolymer, and a second hydrophobic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid copolymer;
- and
- (iii) the bioerodible implant is prepared by:
- (a) milling the first hydrophilic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid copolymer and the second hydrophobic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid copolymer;
- and
- (b) subjecting the particles of the steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, the first hydrophilic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid copolymer, and the second hydrophobic-ended poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid copolymer to a double extrusion process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.