Commercialization challenges for drug eluting contact lenses

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Eye drops are commonly used for delivering ophthalmic drugs despite many deficiencies including low bioavailability and poor compliance. Contact lenses can deliver drugs with high bioavailability but commercial contacts release drug rapidly, limiting benefits and necessitating modifications to improve the drug release characteristics.

Areas covered

This review covers the common approaches to prolong the release rates of drugs from contact lenses including molecular imprinting, incorporation of nano/microparticles, vitamin-E barriers, and layered/implant contact lenses. It also evaluates their suitability for commercialization and discusses challenges that need to be addressed before commercialization is possible.

Expert opinion

In spite of many benefits of contact lenses compared to eye drops, a drug-eluting contact lens has not emerged in the market due to many reasons including potential safety risks, patient and practitioner acceptance, and production and storage factors. Importantly, changes in the critical lens properties must also be considered such as ion and oxygen permeability, loss in modulus, optical and swelling properties, and protein adherence upon drug loading. Many technologies have addressed scientific and commercialization challenges and are currently being tested both in animal and clinical studies. It is likely that a drug-eluting contact lens will be commercialized in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Contact lenses
• vitamin E
• molecular imprinting
• nanoparticles
• multi-layer lenses
• commercialization

Article highlights

• • Contact lenses are significantly more efficient than eye drops for ophthalmic drug delivery.

• Drug release duration can be extended by many approaches including molecular imprinting, vitamin E barriers, nanoparticles, and multi-layered/implant lenses.

• Commercialization challenges for each method are discussed including manufacturing, storage, and animal studies.

• Impact of drug extension methods on critical lens properties such as transparency and oxygen permeability was explored.

• Expert opinion on future prospects of commercialization

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

A Chauhan is a coinventor on patent US20100330146A1, ‘Contact lenses for extended release of bioactive agents containing diffusion attenuators.’ The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support from the CMMI program of the National Science Foundation (Grant#1762625).