Intravenous system for delivering a beneficial agent with delivery rate control via permeable surface area variance

摘要

A drug formulation chamber for an intravenous administration set is provided. The intravenous administration set includes a container of an IV fluid, a drip chamber, a drug formulation chamber, and an adapter- needle assembly. The drug formulation chamber houses a diffusional or an osmotically driven drug delivery device. The osmotically driven delivery device has a semipermeable, microporous or diffusional wall which surrounds a compartment containing the drug. Drug is delivered through an orifice in the semipermeable/microporous wall or through the diffusional wall itself, into the IV fluid. The device delivers drug into the IV fluid at a rate that is independent of the flow rate of IV fluid through the formulation chamber. The rate of drug delivery is controlled by variably adjusting the surface area of the semipermeable/microporous/diffusional wall that is exposed to the IV fluid flowing through the drug formulation chamber.