In order to expedite this decision, the question of alter- native delivery technologies needs to be discussed in the early stages of drug development. For certain drugs that (i) have a broad therapeutic window, (ii) require a low daily dose, and (iii) are going to be used for the long-term treatment of disease, injectable con- trolled release depots such as drug-loaded biodegradable polymer microparticles, may provide such an alternative delivery strategy, potentially rescuing an otherwise undeliverable drug.