Drug delivery system utilizing thermosetting gels
AssigneeMerck & Co., Inc.
InventorsJohn L. Haslam, Takeru Higuchi, Arthur R. Mlodozeniec
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a unique drug delivery system for delivering drugs to a body cavity. The drug delivery system comprises a medicament and a polymer such that the drug delivery system is a liquid at room temperature but forms a semi-solid or gel at the body temperature in the body cavity.
Claims55
An aqueous pharmaceutical composition for rectal, urethral, nasal, vaginal, optical or oral in the buccal pourch administration to a body cavity to treat a condition requiring pharmacological treatment comprising
- a. 10% to 50% by weight of a polymer of the formula:
- ##STR2## wherein w is an integer of from 2-6 containing approximately 40% to 80% poly(oxyethylene) and approximately 20 to 60% poly(oxypropylene) and having a molecular weight of 7,000 to 50,000;
- and x and y are any integers within the above constraints;
- and
- b. a pharmacologically effective amount of drug selected from the group consisting of anti-bacterial substances, antihistamines and decongestants, anti-inflammatories, anti-parasitics, antiviral, local anesthetics, antifungal, amebecidal, or trichomonocidal agents, analgesics, antiarthritics, antiasthmatics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antidiabetics, antineoplastics, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, and muscle relaxants and anti-protozoals;
- and
- c. a pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base being in sufficient quantity to adjust the pH of the composition to range from 2 to 9 and wherein the composition is liquid at about room temperature or below.
A method of treating a condition requiring pharmacological treatment which comprises administering rectal, urethral, nasal, vaginal, optical or oral in the buccal pourch to a body cavity a liquid drug delivery device comprising:
- a. 10% to 50% by weight of a polymer of the formula ##STR3## wherein w is an integer of from 2 to 6 containing approximately 40% to 80% poly(oxyethylene) and approximately 20-60% poly(oxypropylene) and having a molecular weight of 7,000 to 50,000;
- and x and y are any integers within the above constraints;
- and
- b. a pharmacologically effective amount of drug selected from the group consisting of antibacterial substances, antihistamines and decongestants, anti-inflammatories, antiparasitics, antivirals, local anesthetics, antifungal, amebecidal, or trichomonocidal agents, analgesics, antiarthritics, antiasthmatics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antidiabetics, antineoplastics, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, muscle relaxants and antiprotozoals;
- and
- c. a pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base being in sufficient quantity to adjust the pH of the composition to range from 2 to 9 and wherein the composition is liquid at about room temperature or below.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.