Drug delivery through hydrogel plugs
First Claim
1. A process for making a punctal plug for blocking or reducing tear flow through a punctum or canaliculus of an eye and delivering a drug to the eye comprising:
- forming a covalently crosslinked hydrogel that is free of polysaccharides, the forming comprising reacting, in a presence of a drug, a first synthetic water soluble polymer precursor that comprises first functional groups and a second synthetic water soluble precursor that comprises second functional groups, with the first and second functional groups reacting with each other to form covalent crosslinking bonds, wherein the drug is dispersed within the hydrogel,with the covalently crosslinked hydrogel being stretched in length and prepared in a dehydrated form,with the dehydrated hydrogel absorbing physiological water to swell and directly contact a tissue of the canaliculus in an expanded state and having a proximal face in fluid communication with a tear film of the eye,with the hydrogel having a water content of at least about 50% by weight or volume when allowed to fully hydrate in vitro in physiological saline.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An embodiment is a medical prosthesis for blocking or reducing tear flow through a punctum or canaliculus of a human eye and delivering a drug to the eye that comprises a dehydrated covalently crosslinked synthetic hydrophilic polymer hydrogel with dimensions to pass through a puncta lacrimali, with the dehydrated hydrogel absorbing physiological water to swell to at least 1 mm in cross-sectional width and conformably fit a canaliculus, with the hydrogel comprising a therapeutic agent dispersed through the hydrogel for release to an eye, with the hydrogel having a water content of at least about 50% by weight or volume when allowed to fully hydrate in vitro in physiological saline.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A process for making a punctal plug for blocking or reducing tear flow through a punctum or canaliculus of an eye and delivering a drug to the eye comprising:
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forming a covalently crosslinked hydrogel that is free of polysaccharides, the forming comprising reacting, in a presence of a drug, a first synthetic water soluble polymer precursor that comprises first functional groups and a second synthetic water soluble precursor that comprises second functional groups, with the first and second functional groups reacting with each other to form covalent crosslinking bonds, wherein the drug is dispersed within the hydrogel, with the covalently crosslinked hydrogel being stretched in length and prepared in a dehydrated form, with the dehydrated hydrogel absorbing physiological water to swell and directly contact a tissue of the canaliculus in an expanded state and having a proximal face in fluid communication with a tear film of the eye, with the hydrogel having a water content of at least about 50% by weight or volume when allowed to fully hydrate in vitro in physiological saline. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 29, 31)
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15. A method of treating an eye condition of an eye with a drug comprising:
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placing a covalently-crosslinked, stretched, and dehydrated synthetic hydrogel in a canaliculus of the eye and thereby blocking or reducing tear flow through the canaliculus, with the drug being dispersed within the hydrogel, with the dehydrated hydrogel absorbing physiological water to swell and directly contact a tissue of the canaliculus in an expanded state and having a proximal face in fluid communication with a tear film of the eye, and wherein the hydrogel, when hydrated in the canaliculus, releases an amount of the drug effective to treat the eye condition over a time of at least about six days as measurable by a concentration of the drug in a tear film of the eye. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 30)
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Specification