Implantable Drug Delivery Systems Based on the Principles of Osmosis

Abstract

Implantable, osmotically driven drug delivery systems are applicable to the delivery of small molecules, peptides, proteins, and other biomolecules, and continue to be used at the forefront of development of new clinical therapies. Sustained, zero-order drug delivery from osmotic implants has been shown to achieve consistent pharmacokinetics in multiple models and therapies. The continuous infusion features of these systems can provide improved economics, convenience, and therapeutic benefi t versus bolus dosing. In animal research, ALZET osmotic implantable pumps have demonstrated the benefi ts of continuous infusion versus bolus dosing in various therapeutic applications, including chemotherapy, angiogenesis, and obesity. Osmotic implantable pumps have been selected for site-specifi c delivery to enable continuous local site infusion and avoidance of systemic effects. Applications include delivery to the spine (analgesia), tumors (oncology), cochlea (gene expression), and the brain (neurodegenerative applications). Human use applications using DUROS osmotic implantable pumps have provided delivery of agents from 1 month to over 1 year for treatment of pain, cancer, diabetes, and hepatitis.