Photopolymerized, multilaminated matrix devices with optimized nonuniform initial concentration profiles to control drug release.

This paper describes a novel approach to obtain desired release profiles from diffusion-controlled matrix devices by employing nonuniform initial concentration profiles theoretically and experimentally. Theoretically, a model was developed to examine the effect of nonuniform initial concentration profiles on matrix release behavior, and an optimization technique was investigated to determine suitable nonuniform initial concentration profiles which provide desired release patterns. Experimentally, release rates of an organic dye from photopolymerized matrix devices were measured to test the application of these mathematical techniques and the efficacy of photolaminated matrices in approximating the optimized release behavior. All system parameters were measured by independent experiments, and the experimental release data agree very well with the computed results. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 89: 45-51, 2000