Patent ID: 7291348

Claim:
A system for delivering a therapeutic agent to a subject, the system comprising: biodegradable microspheres comprising a biodegradable polymer and a biologically effective amount of a polypeptide therapeutic agent having usefully preserved bioactivity, wherein the microspheres are obtained from a single emulsion of the biodegradable polymer, the polypeptide therapeutic agent, and an organic solvent, the method comprising: dissolving the biodegradable polymer with an organic solvent to produce a polymer solution; adding the polypeptide therapeutic agent to the polymer solution to produce a mixture of polymer and polypeptide therapeutic agent, wherein no additional processing medium is required; vibrating the mixture to produce a polypeptide therapeutic agent-polymer complex; emulsifying the mixture to produce an emulsion comprising the polypeptide therapeutic agent-polymer complex; and extracting the organic solvent from the emulsion to produce microspheres comprising the polypeptide therapeutic agent-polymer complex, wherein no additional emulsification or mechanical agitation is performed; and a means for delivering the microspheres to the subject in need thereof.