The discovery of the intravenous route of administration through hypodermic syringe in the nineteenth century was a revolutionary development in the medical field. Today it is a routine practice in hospitals. However, the disadvantages of this route are as follows:

Drugs may be injected into almost any organ or area of the body, including the joints (intra-articular), joint fluid area (intrasynovial), spinal column (intraspinal), spinal fluid (intrathecal), arteries (intra-arterial), heart (intracardiac; in an emergency), into a vein (intravenous), into a muscle (intramuscular), into the skin (intradermal, intracutaneous), or under the skin (subcutaneous, hypodermic) (Fig. 8.1).…

Learning Objective Sterile, pyrogen-free preparations intended to be administered by way of injections are called parenterals. The term “parenteral” is derived from the Greek terms para (outside or other than) and enteron (intestine) and denotes routes of administration other than the oral route. The various sterile dosage forms are small and large volume injectables, irrigation fluids, dialysis solutions, biological…