Invention Summary:
Local anesthetics prevent or relieve pain by interrupting nerve conduction. Even the long-acting local anesthetic agents (e.g., bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, ropivacaine) can only provide analgesia for 4-18 hours. Because of the short duration, local anesthetics often have to be given by repeated injection or continuous infusion.
The inventors here developed an injectable PLGA-coated ropivacaine, which has a dose-dependent, reversible, and long-lasting analgesic effect on post-operative pain and neuropathic pain. The maximal duration of this composition's analgesia at 0.25% is more than 10 days without adverse effects based on animal test. Currently, EXPAREL is the only FDA approved long-acting local anesthesia. It is an injectable liposome bupivacaine, but it is liquid and cannot be stored for long time once it is made. This new composition can be made into liquid or powder that is suitable for long-term storage. It can be readily used as pain relief medication for shingles and knee replacement surgery recovery. It could be a valuable and promising treatment option for neuropathic pain and post-operative pain management.
Advantages:
- Animal data showing that duration of this composition is more than 10 days without adverse effects.
- Ropivacaine HCl is an FDA-approved drug and PLGA is a standard biodegradable drug deliverable system. It will be easier to obtain FDA's approval on this composition
- This new composition is injectable. It can be made into powder for long-term storage.
Market Applications:
- A valuable and promising treatment option for post-operative pain management and neuropathic pain
- It can be readily used as pain relief medication for shingles and knee replacement surgery recovery.
Intellectual Property & Development Status:
Patent pending. Available for licensing or collaboration.
