An injectable
drug delivery device includes a core containing one or more drugs and one or more polymers. The core may be surrounded by one or more
polymer outer
layers (referred to herein as "coatings," "skins," or "outer
layers"). In certain embodiments, the device is formed by extruding or otherwise preforming a polymeric
skin for a
drug core. The
drug core may be co-extruded with the
skin, or inserted into the
skin after the skin has been extruded, and possibly cured. In other embodiments, the drug core may be coated with one or more
polymer coatings. These techniques may be usefully applied to fabricate devices having a wide array of
drug formulations and skins that can be selected to control the release rate profile and various other properties of the drugs in the drug core in a form suitable for injection using standard or non-standard gauge needles. The device may be formed by combining at least one
polymer, at least one drug, and at least one liquid
solvent to form a
liquid suspension or solution wherein, upon injection, such suspension or solution under goes a
phase change and forms a gel. The configuration may provide for
controlled release of the drug(s) for an extended period.