title: Osmotic micropumps for drug delivery.
abstract: This paper reviews miniaturized drug delivery systems applying osmotic principles for pumping. Osmotic micropumps require no electrical energy and consequently enable drug delivery systems of smallest size for a broad field of new applications. In contrast to common tablets, these pumps provide constant (zero-order) drug release rates. This facilitates systems for long term use not limited by gastrointestinal transit time and first-pass metabolism. The review focuses on parenteral routes of administration targeting drug delivery either in a site-specific or systemic way. Osmotic pumps consist of three building blocks: osmotic agent, solvent, and drug. This is used to categorize pumps into (i) single compartment systems using water from body fluids as solvent and the drug itself as the osmotic agent, (ii) two compartment systems employing a separate osmotic agent, and (iii) multi-compartment architectures employing solvent, drug and osmotic agent separately. In parallel to the micropumps, relevant applications and therapies are discussed.
authors.affiliation: HSG-IMIT - Institut für Mikro- und Informationstechnik der Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft e.V., Wilhelm-Schickard-Str. 10, 78052 Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herrlich
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spieth
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Messner
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zengerle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D055616:Microtechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009995:Osmosis; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations