Long-Term Constant Subcutaneous Drug Administration

In this chapter, a long-term drug delivery system for preclinical therapeutic research is introduced. By using a subcutaneously implanted ALZET® Osmotic Pumps osmotic pump, continuous zero-order delivery of drugs under investigation that need repeated oral or intravenous dosing is realizable. Compared to traditional delivery systems, implanted osmotic pumps present several advantages, such as that no external connections or researcher intervention is required during infusion and that it is possible to save time by eliminating the need for frequent animal handling and repetitive injection schedules. Most importantly, a stable peripheral concentration of a drug can be obtained using this constant drug delivery system, which would benefit researchers in verifying the efficiency of anti-rheumatoid drugs and establishing safety profiles in preclinical studies.