Ceftriaxone-PMMA beads - A slow release preparation?

The use of various drug delivery systems to achieve high levels of the desi red antibiotic(s) at the site of infection has become commonplace in orthop aedic and trauma units the world over. One of these techniques uses the imp lantation of antibiotic-impregnated beads at operation sites. Commercial an tibiotic beads such as the gentamicin bead are available but expensive, esp ecially for patients in developing countries. We have shown that ceftriaxon e-polymethylmethacrylate beads can be produced locally and at low cost in a resource-poor environment. We have also shown that such beads elute the an tibiotic (ceftriaxone) effectively in vitro, achieving similar or better ac tivity when measured by zones of inhibition against various bacteria specie s compared with standard antibiotic discs. This technique offers a cost-eff ective method of treating chronic bone infections in resource-poor settings .