Polylactide/polyglycolide polymers

Polymeric micropsheres, particularly those prepared from the biodegradable polylactide/ polyglycolide polymers, have been widely investigated as a means to achieve sustained parenteral drug delivery. The advantage of formulating the polymeric matrix as microspheres is the ability to administer them via a conventional needle and syringe as a suspension formulation, rather than as an implant (see below). Lupron depot formulations are available which can provide therapeutic blood levels of leuprolide acetate for up to four months. These products are presented as lyophilized polylactic acid microspheres which are reconstituted to form a suspension prior to administration. 

Bioerodible polymers offer a unique combination of properties that can be tailored to suit nearly any controlled drug delivery application. By far the most common bioerodible polymers employed for biomedical applications are polyesters and polyethers (e.g., polyethylene glycol), polylactide, polyglycolide and their copolymers). These polymers are biocompatible, have good mechanical properties, and have been used in... 

Another group of polymers that have attracted increasing attention for their use as tissue engineering scaffolds in the last decade are degradable polymers, in particular polyesters (e.g. polylactide, polyglycolide), proteins and polysaccharides. 

Nearly 95,000 tons of glucose and dextrose are produced by enzymatic liquefaction of starch, mainly tapioca (cassava). Since lactic acid-based biodegradable polymers like polyglycolide and polylactide are not produced in India, consumption of lactic acid is confined to food processing and the pro-... 

Selection of a tissue engineering substrate includes a choice between absorbable and nonabsorbable material, as well as a choice between synthetic and naturally derived materials. The most common synthetic polymers used for fibrous meshes and porous scaffolds include polyesters such as polylactide and polyglycolide and their copolymers, polycaprolactone, and polyethylene glycol. Synthetic polymers have advantages over natural polymers in select instances, such as the following i... 

D.E. Perrin, J.P. English, Polyglycolide and polylactide, in A.J. Doirib, J. Kost, D.M. Wiseman (Eds.), Handbook of biodegradable polymers, Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1997, pp. 3-28. 

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