Drug release mechanisms of high-drug-load, melt-extruded dexamethasone intravitreal implants

Ozurdex is an FDA–approved sustained-release, biodegradable implant formulated to deliver the corticosteroid dexamethasone to the posterior segment of the eye for up to 6 months. Hot-melt extrusion is used to prepare the 0.46 mm × 6 mm, rod-shaped implant by embedding the drug in a matrix of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) in a 60:40 drug:polymer ratio by weight. In our previous work, the Ozurdex implant was carefully studied and reverse engineered to produce a compositionally and structurally equivalent implant for further analysis. In this work, the reverse-engineered implant was thoroughly characterized throughout the in vitro dissolution process to elucidate the mechanisms of controlled drug release. The implant exhibited a triphasic release profile in 37 °C normal saline with a small burst release (1–2 %), a one-week lag phase with limited release (less than 10 %), and a final phase where the remainder of the dose was released over 3–4 weeks. The limited intermolecular interaction between dexamethasone and PLGA rendered the breakdown of the polymer the dominating mechanism of controlled release. A close relationship between drug release and total implant mass loss was observed. Unique chemical and structural differences were seen between the core of the implant and the implant surface driven by diffusional limitations, autocatalytic hydrolysis, and osmotic effects.