Stimuli-Responsive and Active Polymers in Drug Delivery

Aram Omer Saeed Johannes Pall Magnusson Beverley Twaite and Cameron Alexander  

Biomedical Applications of Electroactive Polymer Actuators Edited by Federico Carpi and Elisabeth Smela 2009 John Wiley Sons Ltd. ISBN 978-0-470-77305-5 

2 Drug Delivery Examples, Challenges and Opportunities for Polymers 

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Stimuli-Responsive and Active Polymers in Drug Delivery... 

Stimuli-Responsive and Active Polymers in Drug Delivery 79 Charged polypyrrole film - incorporation of dexamethasone... 

Another facet of parenteral drug delivery is the implanted device, and this is perhaps the most promising and most readily commercialised area for responsive and/or active polymers. For an implanted vehicle or depot, drag release rate is controlled by dissolution and/or diffusion in the formulation, or for solid polymer implants by diffusion and/or degradation of the polymer. For more complex polymer hydrogels, the release can be controlled by the linking chemistries, and these can be made responsive to a wide variety of stimuli such as enzymatic action, redox potential and so on, as well as those noted above for the oral route. 

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