Continuous long-term insulin delivery in diabetic rats utilizing implanted osmotic minipumps.

Surgically implanted osmotic minipumps were used to continuously deliver insulin to chemically-induced diabetic rats. Serum glucose levels were maintained within normal limits for 7 days in all diabetic rats implanted with the minipumps. Beyond this time period, serum glucose levels could not be adequately controlled in greater than 50% of the diabetic rats. Seven of 20 diabetic rats originally implanted with osmotic minipumps were well controlled throughout the 31-day study period. This study demonstrates that insulin-filled osmotic minipumps provide no advantage over daily insulin injection in the long term control of diabetes.