Electrochemistry of Drug Release

Introduction

Rate-controlled drug delivery pumps, particularly those at the microscale, can provide exquisite control of released drug profiles and thus closely approach the goal of maintaining the therapeutic drug concentration over the entire duration of treatment. This is in contrast to oral or topical routes that, while both convenient and non-invasive, are not suitable routes for many novel pharmaceutical agents including biologics, biosimilars, and other small molecules.  Pumps have been prescribed for acute and chronic conditions including cancer, chronic pain, spasticity, and diabetes. Uses include the administration of antibiotics, chemotherapy, analgesics and opioids, nutrition formulas, insulin, lipids, vasopressors, blood products, and other drugs for which controlled rate of delivery is required [1]. The ability to modulate delivery rate is significant and allows for the design of new treatments that better synchronize with the dynamic biological