Patent ID: 7485320

Claim:
A formulated liposome for incorporating a high content of hydrophobic substances therein, comprising: a first phospholipid which is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogenated naturally-occurring phospholipid and a saturated phospholipid having long carbon chains (—(CH2) n —, in which n is at least 14), and which has a phase transition temperature T g1 ranging between 40 and 74° C.; a second phospholipid which is selected from the group consisting of an unsaturated phospholipid and a saturated phospholipid having short carbon chains (—(CH2) n —, in which n is at most 14), and which has a phase transition temperature T g2 ranging between −30 and 10° C.; liposome-forming materials effective to form a liposome in which the first phospholipid and the second phospholipid coexist in two immiscible phases and create several discontinuous regions, and in which a molar ratio of the first phospholipid to the second phospholipid is at least 3:16; and one or more hydrophobic substances incorporated in the liposome in an amount of at least 20 mole % to form the formulated liposome, wherein a drug delivery temperature T 1 and a drug storage temperature T 2 are chosen at specified ranges subject to an order of T g1 >T 1 >T 2 >T g2 , and wherein the formulated liposome has an incorporation efficiency which remains at least about 70% of incorporation efficiency for six months or more.