A new dosage form (ACR-CH) comprising aclarubicin adsorbed on activated carbon particles was designed to sustain release of aclarubicin. ACR-CH or aclarubicin aqueous solution (ACR-sol) was injected subcutaneously into the fore foot-pads of rats. ACR-CH distributed a statistically significantly higher level of aclarubicin to the axillary lymph nodes (detectable up to 7 days after injection) than aclarubicin distributed in an ACR-sol (not detectable after 48 h). To other tissues, ACR-CH distributed statistically significantly low levels of aclarubicin, as compared with ACR-sol.