Ultra-long-acting tunable biodegradable and removable controlled release implants for drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Infectious Disease Research

Background:

• Current HIV treatments often require frequent dosing, impacting patient adherence and potentially leading to drug resistance.
• Monotherapy for HIV increases the risk of developing resistant viral strains.
• There is a need for advanced drug delivery systems that offer long-term, sustained release of multiple antiretroviral agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an ultra-long-acting, biodegradable, and removable polymer-based drug delivery system for HIV treatment or prophylaxis.
• To evaluate the system's capacity for integrating multiple antiretroviral drugs for sustained release.
• To assess the in vitro release kinetics and drug stability within the formulation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a tunable, biodegradable, and removable polymer matrix.
• Formulation of six selected antiretroviral drugs based on solubility and combination therapy relevance.
• In vitro drug release studies to determine release profiles and duration.
• Assessment of drug stability and physicochemical properties post-release.

Main Results:

• The polymer system demonstrated sustained drug delivery for up to one year.
• The formulation successfully integrated six antiretroviral drugs, releasing them at concentrations above their protein-adjusted inhibitory concentrations.
• Released drugs maintained their physical and chemical integrity.
• The system showed versatility in accommodating multiple drugs for sustained plasma concentrations ranging from weeks to a year.

Conclusions:

• The developed polymer-based delivery system offers an ultra-long-acting, tunable, and safe platform for sustained HIV treatment or prevention.
• The ability to co-deliver multiple antiretroviral drugs addresses the challenge of drug resistance.
• The system's biodegradability, removability, and sustained release profile make it a promising technology for various therapeutic applications beyond HIV.