A novel Organ-Retentive Osmotically Driven System (ORODS) for prolonged drug delivery to stomach or urinary bladder is here proposed. The system is aimed at allowing the entire dose to be delivered locally to the disease site or to absorption windows for improved systemic bioavailability (for gastro-retentive systems). ORODS are obtained by assembling drug-containing units having prolonged release kinetics with osmotic units used as increasing volume compartments. Such devices are assembled by fixing a tube made of regenerated cellulosic membrane (osmotic unit) filled with an osmotic agent to hydrophilic tableted matrices containing the drug. When immersed in aqueous fluids, the osmotic unit expands and becomes rigid to a size sufficient to prevent removal from the organ. The rigidity is maintained for a time controlled by the amount of osmotic agent and the type of membrane used. Subsequently, the entire device slowly shrinks to allow the physiological emptying from hollow organs.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participant will be able to learn importance of in situ (retentive) drug delivery and to knowing approaches for prolonged drug delivery in urinary bladder and stomach
Upon completion, partecipant will receive details about a ORODS, a novel platform for in situ drug delivery based on expansion of the system
Upon completion, partecipant will know the latest results of in vitro tests on ORODSs prepared for prolonged drug release in the stomach