Small molecule parenteral drugs: Practical aspects of stress testing

INTRODUCTION Parenteral drugs comprise a diverse class of medications that are not administered via the enteral (gastrointestinal) route. Parenteral drugs are typically targeted to provide systemic or localized exposure of the drug which may be achieved via injection, infusion, diffusion through the skin or mucous, or by inhalation or intravitreal application. This chapter on pharmaceutical stress testing will focus on small molecule parenterals which are administered to the patient in solution either intramuscular or intravenous. The principles outlined in this chapter may generally apply to all other routes of parenteral administration of small molecule drugs.