Ferring B.v.

Lilias Morton Currie

Janet Anne Halliday

Jukka Tuominen

Mark Alexander Livingstone

Frank Koppenhagen

Sarah Stewart

A water-swellable linear polyurethane polymer is formed by reacting a polyethylene oxide (e.g. PEG 4000 to 35,000), a difunctional compound (e.g. a diamine or diol such as 1,10-decanediol) with a diisocyanate. The ratio of the three components is generally in the range 0.1-1.5 to 1 to 1.1-2.5. The polyurethane is water-swellable in the range 300 to 1700% and soluble in certain organic solvents such as dichloromethane. It can be loaded with pharmaceutically active agents, particularly of high molecular weight, to produce controlled release compositions, such as pessaries etc.

Water-swellable polymers

A pharmaceutical controlled release composition in solid dosage form is provided which comprises (I) a water-swell able linear polymer obtainable by reacting together: (a) a polyethylene oxide; (b) a Cto Cdiol; and (c) a diisocyanate; and (II) a releasable pharmaceutically active agent.

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Lilias Morton Currie