Implantable drug-delivery systems are being developed to release drugs to the bloodstream continuously as well as free patients from being hospitalized to receive intravenous infusions or frequent injections. One technique is implantation of a pellet in the subcutaneous tissue so the pellet may be released by erosion. Drugs are also diffused through silicone rubber capsules but only polyacrylamide is able to release large molecules. Contraceptive rings containing progesterone and placed in the uterus or vagina and implanted silicone-rubber capsules use these principles. Disadvantages to the subcutaneous delivery of drugs include: 1) release of the drug in subcutaneous tissue rather than in the bloodstream directly; 2) entry into the circulatory system is controlled by surrounding blood supplies which vary with fat; 3) diffusion may be difficult due to dense layers of fibrous tissue; and 4) drug amounts cannot be readily regulated. The Ommaya reservoir uses a container with a self-sealing membrane implanted in the scalp and connected to a cerebral ventricle to treat forms of leukemia and fungal meningitis. Another development is an implantable disk-shaped infusion pump with 2 compartments, the outer one containing a propellant and the inner chamber containing the drug, holds 45 milliliters and releases about 1 milliliter/day. In the future these systems may release drugs in response to biochemical feedback or deliver a drug to 1 specific area.
