abstract |
An antibiotic and pharmaceutical pellet system and method provides localized sustained antibiotic release as part of a single therapeutic procedure in order to prevent infections at the injection site. The system includes an implanter apparatus for subcutaneously implanting pharmaceutical pellets in an animal through the bore of a hypodermic needle which is operably coupled to a pellet magazine, a pellet magazine, and a plurality of pellets sized to be implanted through the needle and positioned in the magazine for selective alignment of a pellet with the needle. The pellets include pharmaceutical dose pellets and antibiotic dose pellets which are packaged in the magazine in sequential order for delivery of the pharmaceutical dose followed by the antibiotic dose as part of a single injection. The system permits localized controlled and sustained absorption of the antibiotic pellet dose to combat infection in and around the site of the injection. |