Patent ID: 8889173

Claim:
An implantable drug depot useful for reducing or treating pain and/or inflammation in a patient in need of such treatment, the implantable drug depot comprising a therapeutically effective amount of clonidine hydrochloride comprising about 3 wt. % to about 20 wt. % of the drug depot, the clonidine hydrochloride having a particle size of about 1 micrometer to about 250 micrometers, the drug depot being implantable at a site beneath the skin to reduce or treat pain and/or inflammation, wherein the drug depot is capable of releasing (i) a burst release of about 5% to about 20% of clonidine hydrochloride relative to a total amount of the clonidine hydrochloride loaded in the drug depot over a period of up to 72 hours, and (ii) about 21% to about 99% of clonidine hydrochloride relative to a total amount of the clonidine hydrochloride loaded in the drug depot over a subsequent period of up to 6 months, and the drug depot is solid and contains no water and comprises at least one biodegradable polymer comprising poly(D,L-lactide), poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone) or poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) or a combination thereof and the polymer has an average molecular weight of from about 5,000 to about 500,000 and an inherent viscosity of 0.45 dL/g to 0.55 dL/g and the drug depot has a length of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm and a diameter of about 0.01 mm to about 2 mm.