Patent ID: 8740982

Claim:
A device for treating an intervertebral disc in a patient in need of such treatment, the device being biodegradable and implantable near or within the intervertebral disc, the device comprising a sustained release component having a chemonucleolysis agent, the sustained release component configured to provide sustained release of the chemonucleolysis agent over a period of up to one year to degrade or to shrink at least a portion of the intervertebral disc; an immediate release component having the chemonucleolysis agent, the immediate release component configured to immediately release an effective amount of the chemonucleolysis agent within 24 hours, the immediate release component comprising trehalose; and a therapeutic layer separate from the immediate release component and the sustained release component and configured to release at least one of a growth factor, an analgesic, and an anti-inflammatory agent in a bolus dose upon implantation near or within the intervertebral disc, wherein the chemonucleolysis agent comprises a polycationic polymer that dehydrates a nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc and the device comprises a pore forming agent.