Novel Polymers for Drug Delivery

Polyesters, specifically polylactides and poly(lactide-co-glycolide)s have played a critical role in the development of polymer-based CR technologies. The biocompatibility and the well-established safety profiles of PLA and PLGA polymers have made them the polymer of choice for CR applications. However the off-patent status of these polymers makes them freely available for research in industry as well as academia. This has led to a vast number of patents covering various applications of these polymers within the drug delivery sector. Due to these issues, very limited scope remains to utilize these polymers to reformulate generic, off-patent drugs. 

Another driver for novel polymer research was the increasing complexity of polymeric drug delivery systems. An ideal polymer for these applications should serve the following requirements  

It must be biocompatible and degradable (i.e., it should degrade in vivo into smaller fragments, which can then be excreted from the body). 

The degradation products should be nontoxic and should not create an inflammatory response. 

Degradation should occur within a reasonable period of time as required by the application (this may vary from days to months). 

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