Porous ceramic bodies for drug delivery

An approach to the production of ceramic drug delivery devices is proposed. Two examples of possible ceramics are dealt with: hydroxyapatite weakly mo difiable by living tissue and the bioinert alumina. The possibility to cont rol the formed porosity was taken into consideration for both materials. Th e ratio between the acquired porosity and the quantity and quality of the a gents inducing porosity is also described and discussed. A test on the role of porosity was performed on the obtained porous ceramic bodies and a stud y was made on the release of a substance with pharmacological activity from previously impregnated porous ceramic bodies. This paper is preliminary to a planned work targeted to the preparation of ceramic drug delivery system s. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.