Retentive drug delivery systems based on shape memory materials

Abstract

Retentive drug delivery systems are intended for prolonged residence and release inside hollow organs of the body, in pursuit of either local or systemic therapeutic goals. Because of the relatively long‐lasting period of time they could cover during operation, a primary advantage arising from their use would lie in reduced dosing frequency, thereby improving the overall adherence of patients to prescribed medication regimens. The treatment of numerous pathologies that affect the urinary bladder and the stomach could especially benefit from viability of such delivery technologies. Moreover, by making use of effective gastroretentive dosage forms, the bioavailability of drugs that are preferably absorbed from the upper gastrointestinal tract could be increased. Expansion of devices following administration is often exploited for retention purposes, and several formulation strategies have been proposed in this respect. Innovative applications of shape memory materials have also been explored, highlighting the great inherent potential for facing the challenges involved. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48798.

Shape memory materials and 4D printing in pharmaceutics

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The Chronotopic™ System for Pulsatile and Colonic Delivery of Active Molecules in the Era of Precision Medicine: Feasibility by 3D Printing via Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

“…This involves tailoring the medical treatment to the peculiar characteristics of small groups of patients or even to those of each individual, and could include type, dose, administration mode, composition and release performance of the DDS under development. Considering its real-time prototyping capabilities and the chance to attain complex structures in a single, relatively simple production step, 3D printing is also expected to play a key role in the R&D areas of pharmaceutical industry in the coming years [39][40][41][42].…”

Experimental and computational analysis of a pharmaceutical-grade shape memory polymer applied to the development of gastroretentive drug delivery systems

“…In general, promising applications of shape memory materials in the drug delivery field are those for which a shape evolution is essential for different purposes, mainly to ensure retention of the DDS in a targeted organ so as to i) increase the bioavailability of the conveyed drug, ii) treat local diseases, and iii) prolong the drug release in order to reduce the dosing frequency and consequently increase patient adherence to the therapeutic regimen (Bellinger 2016, Kirtane 2018, Babaee 2019, Maroni 2019. Thanks to the development of 4D printing concept, i.e.…”