Polymer conjugate for delivery of a bioactive agent

1. A polymer-bioactive agent conjugate, comprising a moiety of formula (I):

where:

T represents a triazole moiety;

Q is independently selected at each occurrence and may be present or absent and when present represents a linking group;

R is an optionally substituted aromatic hydrocarbon or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon;

Z is a cleavable linking group; and

D is a releasable bioactive agent selected from prostaglandin analogues.

2. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , which is a copolymer of:

at least one monomer of formula (IV):

where:

X may be the same or different at each occurrence and represents a terminal functional group comprising an alkyne or an azide;

Q is independently selected at each occurrence and may be present or absent and when present, represents a linking group;

R is an optionally substituted aromatic hydrocarbon or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon;

Z is a cleavable linking group; and

D is a releasable bioactive agent selected from prostaglandin analogues; and

a monomer of formula (V):

where:

A may be the same or different at each occurrence and represents a group comprising a terminal functional group comprising an alkyne or an azide functionality, wherein said terminal functional group is complementary to the terminal functional group of X;

L is an optionally substituted linker group; and

n is an integer and is at least 1.

3. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein the prostaglandin analogue is conjugated to the polymer backbone via an ester linking group formed with the 1-carboxylic acid group of the prostaglandin analogue.

4. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein the prostaglandin analogue is of formula (Xb):

wherein:

represents the point of attachment of the prostaglandin analogue to linking group Z;

represents a double or single bond;

Y is optionally substituted C 4 to C 10 hydrocarbyl or optionally substituted C 4 to C 10 hydrocarbyloxy;

R 9 and R 11 are hydroxy; and

W is hydroxy and U is hydrogen, or W and U are both fluoro, or W and U together form oxo;

wherein the prostaglandin bioactive agent of formula (Xb) forms an ester with the linking group Z, wherein the prostaglandin forms the acid portion of the ester and the linker Z forms the alcohol portion of the ester.

5. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein the prostaglandin analogue is selected from latanoprost, travoprost, bimatoprost, tafluprost, carboprost, unoprostone and dinoprost and the free acid forms of latanoprost, travoprost (known as fluprostenol), bimatoprost and tafluprost.

6. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein the group R is of a formula selected from:

7. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 wherein D is selected from:

8. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 4 wherein D is

9. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein Z is of a formula selected from:

(R) —O-(D);

(R) —OC(O)—Ar—O-(D);

(R) —NHC(O)—Ar—O-(D);

(R) —C(O)O—C 1-12 alkylene-O-(D);

(R) —OC(O)—C 1 -C 12 alkylene-O-(D);

(R) —OC(O)-(D);

(R) —OC(O)—Ar—OC(O)-(D);

(R) —NHC(O)—Ar—OC(O)-(D);

(R) —C(O)O—C 1 -C 12 alkylene-OC(O)-(D); and

(R) —OC(O)—C 1 -C 12 alkylene-OC(O)-(D);

wherein:

(R) indicates the end of the linking group bonded to the R group in the polymer backbone and

(D) indicates the end of the linking group bonded to the prostaglandin drug.

10. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein Z is —O—.

11. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein D is

R is selected from:

and

Z is —O—.

12. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 2 , wherein in the monomer of formula (IV), each Q-X is a group of formula (VIIIa):

where:

Y is a functional group selected from an amide, ether, ester, urethane, urea, and carbonate ester functional group;

M is an optionally substituted saturated C 1 to C 10 straight or branched aliphatic linking moiety; and

X is a terminal functional group comprising an alkyne or an azide functionality.

13. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 2 , wherein the monomer of formula (IV) is selected from:

14. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 2 , wherein in the monomer of formula (V), L comprises a linker moiety selected from optionally substituted linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon, optionally substituted carbocyclyl, optionally substituted heterocyclyl, optionally substituted aryl, optionally substituted heteroaryl, and an optionally substituted polymeric segment.

15. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 2 , wherein in the monomer of formula (V), L comprises a polymer selected from a polyether, a polyester, a polyurethane, and copolymers thereof.

16. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 2 , wherein in the monomer of formula (V), n is 1, 2 or 3.

17. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 2 , wherein in the monomer of formula (V), L comprises a functional group selected from an amide, ether, ester, urethane, urea and carbonate ester.

18. A polymer-bioactive agent conjugate which is a copolymer of: at least one monomer of formula (IV):

where:

Q-X is a group of formula (Villa):

where:

Y is a functional group selected from an amide, ether, ester, urethane, urea, and carbonate ester functional group;

M is an optionally substituted saturated C 1 to C 10 straight or branched aliphatic linking moiety and X is a terminal functional group comprising an alkyne or an azide functionality;

R is

Z is —O—; and

D is a prostaglandin analogue of formula:

and a monomer of formula (V):

where:

A may be the same or different at each occurrence and represents a group comprising a terminal functional group comprising an alkyne or an azide functionality, wherein said terminal functional group is complementary to the terminal functional group of X;

L is an optionally substituted linker group; and

n is an integer and is 1,2 or 3.

19. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugates according to claim 1 , comprising a moiety of formula (Ib):

where:

T at each occurrence represents a triazole moiety;

Q is independently selected at each occurrence may be present or absent and when present represents a linking group;

R is an optionally substituted aromatic hydrocarbon or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon;

Z 1 and Z 2 are each cleavable linking groups that may be the same or different; and

D 1 and D 2 are each releasable bioactive agents selected from prostaglandin analogues, and may be the same or different.

20. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer backbone comprises at least one moiety selected from formula (IIa), (IIb), (IIIa) and (IIIb):

21. The polymer-bioactive agent conjugate according to claim 1 , wherein the triazole moieties constitute at least 10 mol % of the polymer backbone.