Patent ID: 8623396

Claim:
An implantable drug depot useful for reducing or treating pain in a patient in need of such treatment, the implantable drug depot comprising about 0.1 wt % to about 30 wt % of clonidine, about 15 wt % to about 60 wt % of bupivacaine or about 0.1 wt % to about 30 wt % of lidocaine and a biodegradable polymer, the depot being implantable at a site beneath the skin to reduce or treat pain, wherein the drug depot comprises (i) at least one region capable of releasing a therapeutically effective bolus dose of the bupivacaine or lidocaine at a site beneath the skin, the at least one region including about 1 to about 5 wt % of at least one of mannitol or trehalose; and (ii) at least one sustained release region capable of releasing a therapeutically effective amount of the clonidine over a period of at least three days, wherein the bupivacaine or lidocaine is not released in a sustained dose and the clonidine is not released in a bolus dose.