Synthetic biodegradable medical polymer: Polyanhydrides

The distinctive properties and promising characteristics of polyanhydrides have made them a unique class of biodegradable polymers. Constant drug release rates (zero-order) due to the surface eroding nature of these hydrophobic polymers adds to the many advantages of this class of polymers. Also, the degradation of polymer can be easily altered by tailoring various parameters such as composition, crystallinity, molecular weight, pH of the surrounding medium etc. Tremendous research in this class of polymers have resulted in the successful translation of few products (Gliadel^®, Septicin^™) from bench to clinic. Based on the usefulness of the polyanhydrides, this chapter briefly discusses the history of polyanhydrides and the various classes that come under this category. It also focuses on the methods of synthesis, biodegradability and biocompatibility aspects. Finally, the potential applications of polyanhydrides in drug delivery, vaccine delivery, protein and peptides delivery are highlighted along with their controlled release applications.