MilliporeSigma has entered into an agreement with PCAS, a Longjumeau, France-based fine chemicals company, to expand MilliporeSigma's excipients portfolio. MilliporeSigma will be the exclusive global distributor for a line of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers marketed under the Expansorb brand. The portfolio will include 38 polymers for the sustained release of small molecules and selected peptide injectables.

Expansorb polymers include polylactic acid (PLA) and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), which are biocompatible and biodegradeable synthetic substances that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. The Expansorb PLA and PLGA polymers are manufactured under cGMP conditions by PCAS and are expected to be sold under MilliporeSigma's Emprove program.

Nanosphere and microsphere formulations based on PLGA polymers have been studied for the delivery of peptides, therapeutic proteins, hormones, and antibiotics. Future applications are expected to include the development of targeted drug-containing nanoparticles using site-specific ligands.

Source: MilliporeSigma