Design of PLGA-based depot delivery systems for biopharmaceuticals prepared by spray drying

Currently, most of the approved protein and peptide-based medicines are delivered via conventional parenteral injection (intramuscular, subcutaneous or intravenous). A frequent dosing regimen is often necessary because of their short plasma half-lives, causing poor patient compliance (e.g. pain, abscess, etc.), side effects owing to typical peak-valley plasma concentration time profiles, and increased costs. Among many sustained-release formulations poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based depot microparticle systems may represent one of the most promising approaches to provide protein and peptide drugs with a steady pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile maintained for a long period. However, the development of PLGA-based microparticle systems is still impeded by lack of easy, fast, effective manufacturing technologies. The aim of this paper is to review recent advances in spray drying, a one-step, continuous microencapsulation process, for manufacturing of PLGA-based depot microparticle systems with a focus on the recent efforts on understanding of the role of nozzle design in the microencapsulation of proteins/peptides, and the effect of critical solvent properties and process parameters on the critical quality attributes of the spray-dried microparticles.