An apparatus, product formulation, and method for improved dermal permeation of pharmaceuticals wherein the apparatus includes a thin drug formulation reservoir and a heat-generating chamber separated by a first non-permeable wall, wherein the reservoir and chamber are formed in or supported by a housing. The drug formulation reservoir houses or is capable of housing a predetermined amount of a formulation containing pharmaceutically-active agent(s). The heat-generating/temperature-regulating chamber includes a medium for generating controlled heat, preferably a chemical composition made of carbon, iron, water and/or salt which is activated upon contact with air (oxygen). The function of the heat-generating/temperature-regulating element is to heat the user's skin, rapidly bring the skin temperature to a desired and elevated narrow range and keep it in this range for sufficient time to obtain more rapid, enhanced and less variable dermal absorption of selected pharmaceutically-active agents and to obtain improved clinical effects. Structure for controlling the generation of heat is also disclosed. The apparatus may optionally include a spacing or standoff structure which spans the drug formulation reservoir between the non-permeable wall and the user's skin surface for maintaining a predetermined thickness of the drug formulation on the user's skin surface. Also, a novel product formulation which can be used with the apparatus which uses high percentage of eutectic mixture of local anesthetics to reduce the overall degradation rate of the local anesthetic compound(s) in formulations which are subject to hydrolysis.
The present invention is directed to a method and system for delivering a drug into the systemic circulation. The method comprises establishing a drug depot in a patient's skin and/or sub-skin tissues by applying a transdermal drug delivery system on the patients skin, for a predetermined time so that a drug depot is formed in said user's skin and/or sub-skin tissues. A heating source is placed proximate to the skin area to rapidly release a bolus of the drug from the depot into the systemic circulation when there is a need to rapidly increase the drug's concentrations in the systemic circulation.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for positioning and creating an opening in a person's shirt or blouse at a location that varies depending on the underlying location necessary to perform a medical procedure. The created opening allows access to a porta-cath without requiring the patient to remove his/her shirt/blouse.
A non-invasive and non-systemic method for administering a local anesthetic. The method comprises topical application of a local anesthetic in combination with an intradermal-penetration agent selected from the group consisting an aloe composition, a triglyceride, and a mixture thereof.
A non-invasive and non-systemic method for administering a local anesthetic. The method comprises topical application of a local anesthetic in combination with an intradermal-penetration agent selected from the group consisting an aloe composition, a triglyceride, and a mixture thereof.
A non-invasive and non-systemic method for intradermal prevention OR amelioration of pain from a surgically closed wound is disclosed. The method comprises topical delivery of a local anesthetic to an exterior surface of a surgically closed wound.
