Pharmaceutical solutions and emulsions containing taxol

Abstract

Abstract Compositions of matter are provided comprising a pharmaceutically effective amount of taxol or a tumor-active analog thereof solubilized in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier comprising an oil having a dipole moment of between about 0.5 Debyes and about 2.0 Debyes, and preferably between about 1.6 and about 1.7 Debyes. Oils from marine organisms having an ether lipid as a major component thereof are preferred. Methods of solubilizing taxol or tumor-active taxol analogs in the pharmaceutically acceptable oils of this invention are provided comprising forming a first solution by dissolving taxol in a preliminary solvent such as an anhydrous alcohol, then adding sufficient oil to solubilize said first solution. Taxol-in-oil solutions are used to prepare oil-in-water emulsions for pharmaceutical use in anti-tumor therapy by means known to the art using known surfactants. Self-emulsifying glasses comprising taxol or tumor-active taxol analogs are also provided comprising a water-soluble, nonsurface active matrix compound and taxol-oil solutions. Emulsions are readily formed from such glasses by contacting the glass with an aqueous phase.

Inventors

• 👤 Merrick L. Shively

Bibliographic Details