| abstract |
A drug delivery system. The system includes an apparatus (200) for mechanically disrupting a layer of skin having a known thickness without substantially disrupting underlying dermis layers below the layer of skin in question and a reservoir (204) for continuously applying the drug to the disrupted area of skin. The apparatus (200) includes a cutter having a plurality of microprotrusions (202) having a height less than or equal to the thickness of the layer of skin and a stop for preventing the apparatus (200) from penetrating said layer of skin beyond a predetermined distance. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microprotrusions (202) comprise first and second groups of microprotrusions (202) extending from a substrate which is communicating with the drug reservoir (204), and the stop comprises a region of the substrate separating the first and second groups and recessed below the tops of the first and second groups of microprotrusions (202). Channels through the stop region into the drug reservoir (204) allow the drug to medicate the disrupted area in one embodiment of the present invention. In a second embodiment of the present invention, the channels are provided in the microprotrusions (202). |