Method for delivering particulate drugs to tissues

A method for delivering a pharmaceutical composition to a tissue target of a mammalian subject, the method comprising the steps of:

• (i) isolating cells from the mammalian subject;
• (ii) contacting the cells with a dispersion of the pharmaceutical composition as particles having an average particle size of from about 150 nm to about 100 microns;
• (iii) allowing for cell uptake of a portion of the particles to form loaded cells;
• and
• (iv) administering to the mammalian subject the loaded cells to deliver a portion of the pharmaceutical composition to the tissue target;
• wherein the particles comprise a compound having a solubility in water of less than about 10 mg/mL selected from the group consisting of a protease inhibitor, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor;
• and wherein the mammalian subject has HIV infection in the brain.

A method of treating a patient having a central nervous system with HIV by delivering an anti-HIV composition to a brain of the patient, the method comprising the steps of:

• (i) providing a dispersion of the anti-HIV composition as particles having an average particle size of from about 150 nm to about 100 microns;
• and
• (ii) administering the dispersion to the central nervous system of the patient for delivery of an effective amount of the anti-HIV composition by macrophages to the brain;
• wherein the particles comprise a compound having a solubility in water of less than about 10 mg/mL selected from the group consisting of a protease inhibitor, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor;
• and wherein the patient has HIV infection in the brain.