Patent ID: 8883768

Claim:
A method for treating arthritis, said method comprising implanting a plurality of implantable drug depots for reducing pathological bone and/or cartilage destruction caused by excessive macrophage activity in a person suffering from arthritis, each implantable drug depot comprising fluocinolone, wherein the fluocinolone is released in an amount from about 40 micrograms to about 600 micrograms per day, and each drug depot comprises at least one biodegradable polymer comprising a lactide to glycolide (L/G) ratio of 65:35 or 75:25, wherein each drug depot is a gel having a pre-dose modulus of elasticity of about 1×10 4 to about 3×10 5 dynes/cm 2 and a post-dose modulus of elasticity of about 1×10 5 to about 7×10 5 dynes/cm 2 , and the plurality of drug depots are implanted to triangulate around a target site at a distance of less than about 2.0 cm from the target site, and wherein the plurality of implantable drug depots prevent at least 90% of bone and/or cartilage destruction.