PLGA-based implants for sustained delivery of peptides/proteins: Current status, challenge and perspectives

Peptide and protein drugs with therapeutic effects suffer from their short half-life and low stability, albeit their high efficiency and specificity. To overcome these demerits, long-acting drug delivery systems have been developed, wherein poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) implants are most preferred owing to their excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility. Dozens of PLGA based products have been approved since 1986, when the first product, named DecapeptylⓇ, successfully marched into market. To meet the increasing demand for delivering various peptides and proteins, different kinds of technologies have been developed for lab-scale fabrication or industrial manufacture. This review aims to introduce recent advances of PLGA implants, and give a brief summary of fundamental properties of PLGA, fabrication technologies of peptides/proteins-loaded PLGA implants as well as factors influencing the drug release processes. Moreover, challenges and future perspectives are also highlighted.