U.S. patent application number 09/887462 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-01 for coated stent.
Invention is credited to Guruwaiya, Judy A., Millare, Deborra Sanders, Wu, Steven Z-H.
Application Number | 20010037145 09/887462 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23815807 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010037145 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Guruwaiya, Judy A. ; et
al. |
November 1, 2001 |
Coated stent
Abstract
A pharmacological agent is applied to a stent in dry, micronized
form over a sticky base coating. A membrane forming polymer,
selected for its ability to allow the diffusion of the
pharmacological agent therethrough, is applied over the entire
stent.
Inventors: |
Guruwaiya, Judy A.; (San
Jose, CA) ; Millare, Deborra Sanders; (San Jose,
CA) ; Wu, Steven Z-H; (Foster City, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FULWIDER PATTON LEE & UTECHT, LLP
HOWARD HUGHES CENTER
6060 CENTER DRIVE
TENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90045
US
|
Family ID: |
23815807 |
Appl. No.: |
09/887462 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09887462 |
Jun 21, 2001 |
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09457195 |
Dec 8, 1999 |
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6251136 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
623/1.15 ;
623/1.46 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 2/91 20130101; C08L
31/04 20130101; C08L 89/00 20130101; A61L 31/16 20130101; C08L
89/00 20130101; C08L 89/00 20130101; C08L 27/16 20130101; C08L
27/16 20130101; C08L 31/04 20130101; A61F 2230/0013 20130101; A61L
31/16 20130101; A61F 2/915 20130101; A61L 31/10 20130101; A61L
31/10 20130101; A61L 31/10 20130101; A61L 31/16 20130101; A61L
31/10 20130101; A61L 31/10 20130101; A61L 2420/08 20130101; A61L
31/10 20130101; A61F 2002/072 20130101; A61L 2300/608 20130101;
A61F 2002/91533 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
623/1.15 ;
623/1.46 |
International
Class: |
A61F 002/06 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A method for coating a stent, comprising the steps of: providing
a stent; applying a base layer of sticky material to selected
surfaces of said stent; applying pharmacological agent in
micronized, dry form to selected surfaces coated by said base
layer; and applying a membrane forming polymer coating through
which said pharmacological agent is able to diffuse to all surfaces
of said stent.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said base layer is applied to all
surfaces of said stent.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said stent is masked so as to
apply said base layer to only selected surfaces of said stent.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said pharmacological agent is
applied to all surfaces having said base layer applied thereto.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said stent is masked so as to
apply said pharmacological agent to only selected surfaces coated
with said base coat.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of pharmacological
agents are applied to selected surfaces having said base layer
applied thereto.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of pharmacological
agents comprises a uniform mixture.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein selected pharmacological agents
of said plurality of pharmacological agents are applied.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein, the base layer is selected from
the group consisting of vitronectin, fibronectin, gelatin and
collagen.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said base layer is applied by
dipping.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said pharmacological agent is
applied by rolling said stent in a mass of said pharmacological
agent.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said pharmacological agent is
applied by blowing said dry, micronized particles onto said
stent.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said membrane forming polymer
comprises EVa.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein said membrane forming polymer
comprises a fluoropolymer film.
15. A coated stent, comprising: an expandable structure; a base
coating of sticky material; an intermediate coating of
pharmacological agent in dry, micronized form; and an outer coating
of membrane forming polymer through which said pharmacological
agent is capable of diffusing.
16. The coated stent of claim 12, wherein said base coating is
present on only selected surfaces of said expandable structure.
17. The coated stent of claim 12, wherein said pharmacological
agent is present on only selected base coated surfaces.
18. The coated stent of claim 12, wherein said intermediate coating
comprises a plurality of pharmacological agents.
19. The coated stent of claim 15, wherein said plurality of
pharmacological agents is homogeneously distributed throughout said
intermediate coating.
20. The coated stent of claim 15, wherein said plurality of
pharmacological agents is heterogeneously distributed throughout
said intermediate coating.
21. The coated stent of claim 17, wherein said expandable structure
has exterior surfaces and interior surfaces and wherein a first of
said plurality of pharmacological agents is distributed on said
exterior surfaces and a second of said pharmacological agents is
distributed on said interior surfaces.
22. The coated stent of claim 12, wherein said outer coating
comprises EVA.
23. The coated stent of claim 12, wherein said outer coating
comprises a fluoropolymer film.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to expandable intraluminal
vascular grafts, commonly referred to as stents, and more
particularly pertains to the coating of stents with materials that
allow for the controlled release of pharmacological agents.
[0002] Stents are implanted within vessels in an effort to maintain
the patency thereof by preventing collapse and/or impeding
restenosis. Implantation of a stent is typically accomplished by
mounting the stent on the expandable portion of a balloon catheter,
maneuvering the catheter through the vasculature so as to position
the stent at the treatment site within the body lumen, and
inflating the balloon to expand the stent so as to engage the lumen
wall. The stent deforms in the expanded configuration allowing the
balloon to be deflated and the catheter removed to complete the
implantation procedure. The use of self-expanding stents obviates
the need for a balloon delivery device. Instead, a constraining
sheath that is initially fitted about the stent is simply retracted
once the stent is in position adjacent the treatment site. Stents
and stent delivery catheters are well known in the art.
[0003] The success of a stent placement can be assessed by
evaluating a number of factors, such as thrombosis, neointimal
hyperplasia, smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation
following implantation of the stent, injury to the artery wall,
overall loss of luminal patency, stent diameter in vivo, thickness
of the stent, and leukocyte adhesion to the luminal lining of
stented arteries. The chief areas of concern are early subacute
thrombosis, and eventual restenosis of the blood vessel due to
intimal hyperplasia.
[0004] Therapeutic pharmacological agents have been developed to
address some of the concerns associated with the placement of a
stent and it is often desirable to provide localized
pharmacological treatment of a vessel at the site being supported
by the stent. It has been found convenient to utilize the implanted
stent for such purpose wherein the stent serves both as a support
for the lumen wall as a well as delivery vehicle for the
pharmacological agent. However, the metallic materials typically
employed in the construction of stents in order to satisfy the
mechanical strength requirements are not generally capable of
carrying and releasing drugs. On the other hand, while various
polymers are known that are quite capable of carrying and releasing
drugs, they generally do not have the requisite strength
characteristics. Moreover, the structural and mechanical
capabilities of a polymer may be significantly reduced as such
polymer is loaded with a drug. A previously devised solution to
such dilemma has therefore been the coating of a stent's metallic
structure with a drug carrying polymer material in order to provide
a stent capable of both supporting adequate mechanical loads as
well as delivering drugs.
[0005] Various approaches have previously been employed to join
drug-carrying polymers to metallic stents including for example
dipping, spraying and conforming processes. Additionally, methods
have been disclosed wherein the metallic structure of the stent has
been formed or treated so as to create a porous surface that
enhances the ability to retain the applied materials. However, such
methods have generally failed to provide a quick, easy and
inexpensive way of loading drugs onto a stent, have been limited
insofar as the maximum amount of drug that can be loaded onto a
stent and are limited in terms of their ability to control the rate
of release of the drug upon implantation of the stent.
Additionally, some of the heretofore known methods are highly
specific wherein they are substantially limited in terms of which
underlying stent material the coating can be applied to.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the
prior art methods for loading a drug onto a stent. The process
enables large amounts of one or more drugs to be quickly and easily
loaded onto the stent and provides for the subsequent release of
such drug at a very controlled rate. A stent constructed in
accordance with the present invention is capable of releasing
substantially greater dosages of drugs at substantially more
controlled release rates than has heretofore been possible.
Moreover, the present invention allows for the drug releasing
materials to be applied to any stent construction material.
[0007] The method of the present invention requires the sequential
application of three layers of different materials onto a stent's
surfaces. A first layer is applied to all or to selected surfaces
of a stent and serves as a base or primer coat which readily
adheres to the material of which the stent is constructed and in
turn, is able to attract and retain the subsequently applied
pharmacological agent. Such pharmacological agent, in the form of
dry, micronized particles is dusted directly onto all or onto only
selected surfaces of the base layer coated stent to form a second
layer. A membrane forming polymer is subsequently applied over the
coated stent surfaces wherein such polymer is selected for its
ability to permit the diffusion of the pharmacological agent
therethrough.
[0008] The base layer material is selected for its ability to form
a sticky coating on the particular material used in the
construction of the stent. Such first layer may be applied to all
or selected surfaces of the stent. The pharmacological material is
used in a dry, micronized form which allows the amount of material
applied to the base layer to be precisely controlled. The top layer
material is selected for its ability to form a membrane over the
entire surface of the stent be it the bare stent material, the base
layer coat or the pharmacological agent, and for its ability to
permit the diffusion of the pharmacological agent therethrough. The
amount of pharmacological material deposited in the second layer
determines the total dosage that can delivered while the thickness
of the top layer determines the rate of delivery.
[0009] The particular surface or surfaces on which the
pharmacological agent is deposited determines where the agent is
delivered upon implantation. More specifically, pharmacological
material deposited on the exterior surfaces of the stent causes the
agent to pass directly into the lumen wall while deposition of the
agent on the interior surfaces of the stent causes the agent to be
released directly into the blood flow. Alternatively, coating only
the upstream edge or only the downstream edge of the stent may be
desirable to achieve a specific effect. By selectively coating the
stent surfaces with the base layer, the distribution of the
pharmacological agent may be controlled accordingly as the dry
particles will only adhere to those areas that have the sticky
coating. Alternatively, the entire stent may be base coated while
the application of the pharmacological agent is precisely
controlled by limiting its distribution to only preselected areas.
Well known masking techniques may be used for such purpose. The
membrane forming material may be applied by any well known
technique such as for example by dipping or spraying while material
is in its liquid form. Allowing the material to form a continuous
membrane completes the fabrication process.
[0010] These and other features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of preferred embodiments which, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, illustrate by way of example the
principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stent.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view, such as
taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, of a stent fabricated in
accordance with the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view of an
alternative embodiment stent fabricated in accordance with the
present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view of another
alternative embodiment stent fabricated in accordance with the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] The stent constructed in accordance with the present
invention is employed as a drug delivery device which is implanted
in the body and may simultaneously serve to support the body lumen
at the deployment site. The present invention is not limited to any
particular stent configuration or delivery method nor is the
construction of the stent structure limited to the use of any
particular construction material.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view generally depicting a stent 12.
Such view is not intended to represent any particular stent
configuration or structure but is merely provided to put into
context the cross-sectional views of the various embodiments shown
in FIGS. 2-4.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment 14 of the present invention
wherein the underlying structure of the stent 16 has a total of
three layers of materials coated onto all of its surfaces. A first
layer, or base coat 18 is shown applied directly to the surfaces of
the stent upon which a second layer, comprising a pharmacological
agent 20, is applied. A third layer, in the form of a continuous
membrane 22, encapsulates the entire device.
[0018] The base coat 18 serves as a primer by readily adhering to
the underlying stent's surfaces and then readily accepting and
retaining a pharmacological agent applied thereto. The base coat
material may consist of vitronectin, fibronectin, gelatin, collagen
or the like. Such materials are readily available, are relatively
inexpensive and dry to form a sticky coating. The desired
stickiness is achieved with the application of a very thin even
coating of the base coat on the stent which serves to minimize the
overall wall thickness of the device and further has the desirable
effect of minimizing the amount of webbing that forms between
adjacent structural components of the stent. The base layer may be
applied by any of several methods including for example dipping,
spraying, sponging or brushing. In the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 2, the underlying stent structure is simply dipped or
submerged in the base coat material while in its liquid form to
uniformly coat all surfaces of the stent. The dipping solution
should not dissolve the drug particles. Upon drying or curing, all
exposed surfaces of the stent remain sticky.
[0019] The pharmacological agent 20 is supplied in the form of dry,
micronized particles that readily adhere to the sticky base layer
surface. A variety of pharmacological agents are commercially
available in such form having a preferred particle size of about 1
to 0.5 microns. Examples of such agents include but are not limited
to antibiotic, anti-thrombotic and anti-restenotic drugs.
Additionally, any such micronized agents can be combined in any of
various combinations in order to dispense a desired cocktail of
pharmacological agents to the patient. For example, a number of
different pharmacological agents can be combined in each micronized
particle. Alternatively, micronized particles of individual
pharmacological agents can be intermixed prior to application to
the sticky base layer. As a further alternative, different
pharmacological agents can be applied to different surfaces of the
stent. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the micronized
particles are applied to all surfaces of the base coated stent
wherein such application may be achieved by any of a number of well
known methods. For example, the particles may be blown onto the
sticky surface or optionally, may simply be rolled in the powder.
The former approach allows the total amount of pharmacological
agent that is to be applied to the stent to be precisely
controlled.
[0020] The outer membrane 22 encapsulates the entire stent to cover
all of its surfaces, including any bare stent structure, any
exposed base coating or the layer of micronized drug particles. The
material is selected for its membrane forming characteristic and
its biocompatiblity as well as its permeability to the
pharmacological agent. The chemical composition of the membrane
forming polymer and that of the pharmacological agent in
combination with the thickness of the applied outer layer will
determine the diffusion rate of the pharmacological agent. An
example of a suitable material is ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVA) into
which the base coated and pharmacological agent carrying stent may
simply be dipped. The EVA forms the desired membrane upon
curing.
[0021] Alternatively, fluorocarbon films may be employed to serve
as the outer layer in the stent of the present invention. Such
films have been successfully used as drug-delivery capsules and are
capable of serving a similar function when applied about the
exterior of the stent of the present invention. A representative
example of such film is described in the paper entitled Development
of a Model for rf. PE-CVD-Deposited Fluoropolymer Films Using C3F6
by Jason Christos, et al in the Journal of Undergraduate Research
in Engineering, page 52.
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment 24 of the
present invention. The underlying stent structure, base layer,
pharmacological agent and outer membrane layer are identified by
the same reference numerals employed in FIG. 2. In this particular
embodiment, the base layer 18 is again applied to all surfaces of
the underlying stent structure 16 while the pharmacological agent
20 is applied to only selected surfaces. This is achieved by
masking those areas in which no pharmacological agent is to become
adhered to the sticky base layer. In the particular embodiment that
is illustrated, only the exterior surface has the pharmacological
agent adhered thereto. Alternatively, a second, different
pharmacological agent may be applied to the interior surface of the
stent such that a single stent serves to dispense a first
pharmacological agent into the lumen walls while the second agent
is simultaneously dispensed into the blood flow. In either
embodiment, the outer membrane 22 covers the entire stent.
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates another alternative embodiment 26 of the
present invention. The underlying stent structure, base layer,
pharmacological agent and outer membrane layers are again
identified by the same reference numerals employed in FIGS. 2 and
3. In this particular embodiment the base layer 18 is selectively
applied to various surface of the underlying stent structure 16.
This achieved by masking those areas were no base layer and
consequently no pharmacological agent 20 is to be present. The
illustration shows the base layer as being exclusively applied to
the exterior surface of the stent. Any of a variety of masking
techniques can be employed to achieve the selective coating
pattern. The subsequently applied pharmacological agent in the form
of dry, micronized particles, only adheres to those surfaces having
the sticky base layer coating. The outer membrane forming layer 22
is again applied to all surfaces.
[0024] In use, the stent is deployed using conventional techniques.
Once in position the pharmacological agent gradually diffuses into
the adjacent tissue at a rate dictated by the parameters associated
with the applied outer membrane. The total dosage that is delivered
is of course limited by the total amount of pharmacological agent
that had been loaded onto the stent's various surfaces. The
pharmacological agent is selected to treat the deployment site
and/or locations downstream thereof. For example, deployment in the
carotid artery will serve to deliver such agent to the brain.
[0025] While a particular form of the invention has been
illustrated and described, it will also be apparent to those
skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly,
it is not intended that the invention be limited except by the
appended claims.
* * * * *