Status of Implantable and Long-acting Injectable Technologies

Implantable technologies can facilitate delivery of a controlled concentration of drug to a patient by controlling the rate of drug release. Significant progress has been made toward developing various implantable technologies to deliver drugs via intracranial, intrathecal, or intravaginal routes. However, the most promising developments have been in intraocular and subcutaneous implants. This introductory chapter covers a general overview of the technologies in play for sustained release of longer duration drugs. It illustrates a few sustained release technologies that are currently in development or have already been commercialized.