Method of fabricating an implantable medical device comprising a rapamycin derivative

1. A method of fabricating an implantable medical device comprising a rapamycin derivative drug, the method comprising:

a) synthesizing the rapamycin derivative drug;

b) recrystallizing the rapamycin derivative drug from an appropriate recrystallization solvent where the appropriate cold recrystallization solvent is ethanol;

c) washing the recrystallization-solvent-wetted recrystallized rapamycin derivative drug with a small amount of a cold recrystallization solvent;

d) dissolving the recrystallization-solvent-wetted recrystallized rapamycin derivative drug immediately in an appropriate coating composition solvent;

e) adding a desired weight percent, based on the weight of rapamycin derivative drug, of a pharmaceutically acceptable antioxidant stabilizer to form the coating composition; and

f) disposing the coating composition on the implantable medical device to form a drug reservoir layer.

2. The method of claim 1 where the rapamycin derivative drug is everolimus.

3. The method of claim 2 where the pharmaceutically acceptable antioxidant stabilizer is BHT.

4. A method of fabricating an implantable medical device comprising a rapamycin derivative drug, the method comprising:

purifying the rapamycin derivative drug using a technique that results in a substantially pure rapamycin derivative drug dissolved in a solvent, wherein:

the solvent used in the purification technique is used for preparation of a coating composition comprising the rapamycin derivative drug;

adjusting the amount of the solvent such that the weight percent of the rapamycin derivative drug in the solvent is that desired in the coating composition to be applied to an implantable medical device;

adding a desired weight percent, based on the weight of the rapamycin derivative drug, of an pharmaceutically acceptable antioxidant stabilizer to form the coating composition; and

disposing the coating composition on the implantable medical device to form a drug reservoir layer;

wherein the substantially pure rapamycin derivative drug is not isolated as a dry solid after the purifying step and before the disposing step.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the synthesized rapamycin derivative drug is selected from the group consisting of a 40-O-substituted rapamycin, everolimus, temsirolimus, deforolimus, ridaforolimus, merilimus, biolimus, umirolimus, 16-pent-2-ynyloxy-32(S)-dihydrorapamycin, zotarolimus, 16-pent-2-ynyloxy-32(S)-dihydrorapamycin, novolimus, and myolimus.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable antioxidant stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of a butylated phenol, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole, t-butylhydroquinone, quinone, an alkyl gallate, methyl gallate, ethyl gallate, propyl gallate, octyl gallate, docecyl gallate, resveratrol, cysteine, n-acetylcysteine, bucillamine, glutathione, 7-hydroxyethylrutoside, carvedilol, vitamin C, ascorbyl palmitate, fumaric acid, a tocopherol, α-tocopherol, α-tocopherol acetate, a tocotrienol, vitamin E, lycopene, a flavonoid, a carotenoid, carotene and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable antioxidant stabilizer is BHT.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the implantable medical device is a stent.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the rapamycin derivative drug is everolimus or novolimus.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein when the rapamycin derivative drug is everolimus, the weight percent BHT based on the weight of everolimus present on the stent is about 0.001 to about 0.01%; and wherein when the rapamycin derivative drug is novolimus, the weight percent BHT based on the weight of novolimus present on the stent is about 0.001 to about 0.01%.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the amount of BHT remaining on the stent after all of the process steps are completed is non-detectable.

12. The method of claim 4 , further comprising addition of a matrix polymer to the coating composition before disposing the composition on the implantable medical device, wherein the matrix polymer is selected from the group consisting of a polyester, poly(L-lactide), poly(D-lactide), poly(D,L-lactide), poly(meso-lactide), poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide), poly(D-lactide-co-glycolide), poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide), poly(meso-lactide-co-glycolide), poly(caprolactone), poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone), poly(glycolide-co-caprolactone), poly(hydroxyvalerate), poly(hydroxybutyrate), poly(ethylene glycol-co-butylene terephthalate), poly(n-butyl methacrylate), a fluoropolymer, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and blends and copolymers thereof.