Our Technology and Products > Injectable Solid Implants

Injectable Solid Implants

SurModics Pharmaceuticals’ implant technologies provide long-acting solutions to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from days-to-months.  Our implants provide a highly tunable drug release and degradation profile for achieving the desirable release rates.  Technologies can be applied using biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymer based options. 

Injectable solid implants are typically rod-shaped products with drug dispersed throughout a polymer matrix.  Implants can be used for systemic delivery (subcutaneous or intramuscular) or local delivery (ocular or CNS). Local or systemic delivery is achieved by tailoring implant applications based on the product needs. Injectable solid implants are especially suitable when efficacy is dependent on delivering a relatively large dose of a drug over a long duration. Most classes of drugs can be formulated into these implants, particularly small molecules and peptides that are not temperature sensitive. The polymer matrix controls the rate of release of drug from the implant.

SurModics has developed expertise around manufacturing biodegradable implants, particularly using poly(lactide-co-glycolide) polymers. These polymers break down naturally by hydrolysis to lactic acid and glycolic acid. Alternatively, if removal is desired, SurModics is able to design biodegradable implants for removal within days or weeks after administration.  Our non-biodegradable implants provide the option for removal any time during the release interval. 

SurModics’ proprietary implant technology platforms provide a number of advantages

• Ability to achieve high API content
• Maintain controlled release kinetics over long durations
• Achieve high API contents and long release kinetics
• Small implant dimensions through control of processing and surface properties

 

Extrusion and implant capabilities include fibers, filaments, films, rod-shaped products and three-dimensional composites.  Our capabilities include multiple extrusion processes, such as single or co-extrusion process for injectable solid implants.  Implants can be manufactured in a variety of sizes and shapes based on dose requirements. Small-diameter implants can be produced for specialized applications such as intra-ocular delivery. Larger-diameter filaments, devices or films can be manufactured for applications where larger doses are needed to be delivered over longer time frames and/ or larger areas.

The experience and commercial orientation of the SurModics team provides our clients with development programs designed to achieve clinical evaluation of candidate formulations within short time frames. SurModics’ implant expertise includes:

• In-house polymeric capabilities to manufacture implants
• Experience producing a variety of implant formulations and release kinetics
• Manufacture cGMP implant materials for clinical use
• Analytical support to assess key attributes of implant formulations

 

Injectable solid implants are rod-shaped devices with drug dispersed throughout a polymer matrix.