Antibiotic-impregnated plaster of Paris beads. Trials with teicoplanin

Teicoplanin-impregnated plaster of Paris beads were made and in vitro release properties were studied. Teicoplanin was released in an initial massive dose, with a rapid decline during the first three days, followed by a slowly declining prolonged release up to 30 days. The release tested by diffusion in gelose and high-performance liquid chromatography was found to be 21.4% and 28.2%, respectively, of the amount theoretically present in the beads. Plaster of Paris is a resorbable, nontoxic biomaterial that has already been used to fill dead spaces in bone and deliver antibiotics in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis. The addition of teicoplanin, a new antistaphylococcal agent with low known bacterial resistance, is a promising alternative. Follow-up tests in vivo, simulating local conditions of the osteomyelitic bone, are necessary to prove efficacy.