Inserts, implants, and devices

Inserts, implants, and devices

Introduction

Inserts, implants, and devices represent pharmaceutical interventions in healthy and/or disease states that may be used to improve health and/or promote quality of life. Inserts, as the name implies, are drug delivery sys-tems that are designed for insertion into one or the other body cavity, such as vagina, rectum, buccal cavity, or the cul-de-sac of the eye, in the patient. Suppositories are solid dosage forms that are used to administer drugs through the rectum or vagina. Implants, on the other hand, are designed for surgical placement inside the body, such as in the subcutaneous (SC) tissue, breast, penis, heart, bones, teeth, eye, or the ear.

Devices are recognized as relatively sophisticated drug delivery systems intended for a specific application, such as transdermal drug delivery, intra-uterine devices (IUDs), ventricular assist devices, and insulin pumps and pens. Transdermal patches are used for drug delivery across the skin. Aerosols and inhalation drug delivery devices are used for pulmonary drug delivery.

Inserts, implants, and devices may or may not be loaded with drug(s). Drug containing inserts, implants, and devices are used to deliver drugs for localized or systemic effects. Sometimes, the rate of drug release is con-trolled. In such cases, the drug may embed into biodegradable or nonbio-degradable materials forming a uniform matrix that allows slow release of the drug.