Long term drug delivery devices with polyurethane based polymers and their manufacture

An implantable drug delivery device for releasing one or more active ingredients at a substantially zero order rate in vitro by diffusion through a polyurethane-based polymer for an extended period of time to produce systemic pharmacological effects in vivo, said implantable drug delivery device comprising a polyurethane-based polymer configured to provide a cylindrically shaped reservoir, wherein the reservoir is sealed after being charged with an effective amount of a solid formulation comprising one or more active ingredients, wherein the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer are selected such that both the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer exhibit hydrophilic characteristics.

An implantable drug delivery device for releasing one or more active ingredients at a substantially zero order rate in vitro by diffusion through a polyurethane-based polymer for an extended period of time to produce systemic pharmacological effects in vivo, said implantable drug delivery device comprising the polyurethane-based polymer configured to provide a cylindrically shaped reservoir, wherein the reservoir is sealed after being charged with an effective amount of a solid formulation comprising one or more active ingredients, wherein the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer are selected such that both the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer exhibit hydrophobic characteristics.

An implantable drug delivery device for releasing one or more active ingredients at a substantially zero order rate in vitro by diffusion through a polyurethane-based polymer for an extended period of time to produce systemic pharmacological effects in vivo, said implantable drug delivery device comprising a polyurethane-based polymer configured to provide a cylindrically shaped reservoir, wherein the reservoir is sealed after being charged with an effective amount of a solid formulation comprising one or more active ingredients, and wherein the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer are selected such that either:

• (i) both the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer exhibit hydrophilic characteristics;
• or (ii) both the one or more active ingredients and the polyurethane-based polymer exhibit hydrophobic characteristics, and further wherein the solid formulation includes one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers that are not required for the substantially zero order release rate in vitro of the one or more active ingredients through the polyurethane-based polymer as governed by Fick's Law of Diffusion.