DRUG DELIVERY DEVICES AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE

摘要

PURPOSE: The invention provides a heat equilibration process for the manufacture of drug delivery devices which eliminates the need to preload the body contacting layer with a drug. CONSTITUTION: An improved method for manufacturing a drug delivery device has more than one layer containing a concentration of drug in excess of saturation which method comprises: forming a device comprising at least one layer initially containing drug in excess of saturation and at least one other layer initially free of drug in excess of saturation; subjecting the device to an elevated temperature for a predetermined period of time sufficient to cause a predetermined amount of a drug to migrate from the layer initially containing drug in excess of saturation into the other layers of the device that are initially free of drug in excess of saturation; and rapidly cooling the device to ambient conditions.