Claims
- 1. A method for improving the bioadhesiveness of a base polymer, the method comprising incorporating a short chain polymer in the base polymer in an amount effective to enhance the ability of the base polymer to adhere to a mucosal membrane,
wherein the short chain polymer contains at least one free carboxylic group.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the short chain polymer is associated with the base polymer by ionic or covalent bonds.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the short chain polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 20,000 or less.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the short chain polymer comprises a hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl alcohols, poly amino acids, fatty acids, and ethylene vinyl acetate.
- 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the short chain polymer is a poly amino acid.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the base polymer is selected from the group consisting of proteins and polysaccharides.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the base polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polycarbonates, polyalkylenes, polyaryalkylenes, polyalkylene glycols, polyalkylene oxides, polyalkylene terephthalates, polyvinyl polymers, polyphosphazenes, polyacrylamides, polysiloxanes, polyurethanes, polymers of acrylic and methacrylic acid, celluloses, polyanhydrides, polyesters, poly(hydroxy acids), and blends and copolymers thereof.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the base polymer is in the form of a microsphere, and wherein the method comprises improving the bioadhesiveness of the microsphere by incorporating the short chain polymer in the base polymer during formation of the microsphere.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the short chain polymer is in the form of a fine dispersion of particles on at least the surface of the microsphere.
- 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the microsphere further comprises a therapeutic or diagnostic agent.
- 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the diagnostic agent is selected from the group consisting of gases, gas evolving agents and radio-opaque compounds.
- 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the base polymer incorporating the short chain polymer is coated onto the surface of a microsphere formed of a different material.
- 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer defines or coats a drug delivery device containing a therapeutic agent.
- 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer defines or coats a surgical implant device.
- 15. A method for delivering a therapeutic or diagnostic agent to a patient comprising
administering to a mucosal membrane of the patient in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier the therapeutic or diagnostic agent within a microsphere, wherein the surface of the microsphere comprises a base polymer, having a short chain incorporated therein in an amount effective to enhance the ability of the base polymer to adhere to a mucosal membrane, wherein the short chain polymer contains at least one free carboxylic group.
- 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the microsphere is administered by a route selected from the group consisting of nasal, vaginal, rectal and oral administration.
- 17. The method of claim 15 comprising administering the agent within the microsphere to a mucosal membrane selected from the group consisting of gastrointestinal, respiratory, excretory and reproductive mucous membranes.
- 18. A composition comprising a base polymer incorporating a short chain polymer in the base polymer in an amount effective to enhance the ability of the base polymer to adhere to a mucosal membrane,
wherein the short chain polymer contains at least one free carboxylic group.
- 19. The composition of claim 18 wherein the short chain polymer is associated with the base polymer by ionic interactions or covalent bonds.
- 21. The composition of claim 18 wherein the short chain polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 20,000 or less.
- 22. The composition of claim 18 wherein the short chain polymer comprises a hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl alcohols, poly amino acids, fatty acids, and ethylene vinyl acetate.
- 23. The composition of claim 22, wherein the short chain polymer is a poly amino acid.
- 24. The composition of claim 18 wherein the base polymer is selected from the group consisting of proteins and polysaccharides.
- 25. The composition of claim 18 wherein the base polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polycarbonates, polyalkylenes, polyaryalkylenes, polyalkylene glycols, polyalkylene oxides, polyalkylene terephthalates, polyvinyl polymers, polyphosphazenes, polyacrylamides, polysiloxanes, polyurethanes, polymers of acrylic and methacrylic acid, celluloses, polyanhydrides, polyesters, poly(hydroxy acids), and blends and copolymers thereof.
- 26. The composition of claim 18 wherein the base polymer is in the form of a microsphere,
- 27. The composition of claim 26 wherein the short chain polymer is in the form of a fine dispersion of particles on at least the surface of the microsphere.
- 28. The composition of claim 26 wherein the microsphere further comprises a therapeutic or diagnostic agent.
- 29. The composition of claim 28 wherein the diagnostic agent is selected from the group consisting of gases, gas evolving agents and radio-opaque compounds.
- 30. The composition of claim 26 wherein the base polymer incorporating the short chain polymer is coated onto the surface of a microsphere formed of a different material.
- 31. The composition of claim 18 wherein the polymer defines or coats a drug delivery device containing a therapeutic agent.
- 32. The composition of claim 18 wherein the polymer defines or coats a surgical implant device.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation in part of copending application Ser. No. 09/729,529, filed Dec. 4, 2000, entitled “Methods and Compositions for Enhancing the Bioadhesive Properties of Polymers using Organic Excipients,” by Camilla A. Santos, Jules S. Jacob, Benjamin A. Hertzog, Gerardo P. Carino, and Edith Mathiowitz, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/135,248, filed Aug. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,348, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/670,326, filed Jun. 25, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,096.
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08670326 |
Jun 1996 |
US |
Child |
09135248 |
Aug 1998 |
US |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09135248 |
Aug 1998 |
US |
Child |
09729529 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09729529 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Child |
10146184 |
May 2002 |
US |