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Abstract

A coaxial implant has been developed using entirely biodegradable polymeric materials. As referred to herein, a coaxial implant is a device having a core containing drug, surrounded by a semi-permeable membrane that controls the rate of release of material from the core. The device is formed by extrusion, using a pre-milling and extruding step to maximize uniformity of drug dispersion within the polymeric material. In one embodiment, the polymer is processed to yield a semi-crystalline polymer, rather than an amorphous polymer. The core containing the drug and the polymer membrane(s) can be the same or different polymer. The polymer can be the same or different composition (i.e., both polycaprolactone, or both poly(lactide-co-glycolide) of different monomer ratios, or polycaprolactone outside of a core of poly(lactide)), of the same or different molecular weights, and of the same or different chemical structure (i.e., crystalline, semi-crystalline or amorphous). The core acts as a reservoir of drug, which partitions from the core polymer to form a saturated solution of at least 10% drug at the polymer membrane.

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First Claim