BigPatents India

The present invention includes devices and methods for reducing the start-up time of osmotically driven drug delivery systems capable of delivering a desired drug at a controlled rate over time. In particular, the present invention includes osmotic pumps that have a preloaded membrane, which includes a semipermeable material that has been preloaded with a nonaqueous, incompressible liquid filler that is miscible with water. The present invention further includes methods for making such osmotic pumps. The preloaded membranes included in the osmotic pumps according to the present invention have proven to provide significant decreases in average start-up times relative to osmotic pumps that include semipermeable membranes that are not preloaded. (FIG. - 1)