Drug Carrier Systems Based on Resorbable Polyester Collagen and/or Biomaterial Combinations

Abstract

In the treatment of bone and soft tissue infections only minor active agent concentration can be attained at the site of infection with the use of conventional therapy procedures, after oral or parenteral administration of antibiotics. The possibility of administering drugs locally exists during the course of surgery, after the infection focus has been removed. This is also true for the targeted application of drugs by modern surgical techniques such as endoscopy. Beginning with a gentamicin collagen compound, developed for treatment of bone infection osteomyelitis, a sustained release system was contrived. Through shell-like coating of the collagen fibrils of this carrier system with resorbable poly(esters), a sustained liberation system of the incorporated aminoglycoside could be achieved. The liberation kinetics were dependent on the nature and concentration of the aliphatic poly-(esters) used as links to the poly(glycolic), poly(lactic) or poly(butyric acid). During the course of this research it could further be shown that drugs can also be placed on medical devices such as artificial joints through use of these carriers in the form of thin films.