Single dose drug delivery device

• US 10,342,926 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Insulet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Insulet Corporation
• Inventors: Nazzaro, David, McLaughlin, Ian, Kozin, Simon, McCaffrey, Maureen, Mac, Jackie, Doudoumopoulos, Alexander, Patel, Bhavin
• Primary Examiner(s): Stigell, Theodore J
• Application Number:
  US15/607,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20170340827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2474 with movable piercing means, e.g. ampoule remains fixed or steady
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3142 Modular constructions, e.g. supplied in separate pieces to be assembled by end-user
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31518 designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/00 Other apparatus for introducing media into the body for reproduction or fertilisation A61B17/425; apparatus for iontophoresis or cataphoresis A61N1/30; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin salt baths A61H33/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14248 of the skin patch type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1454 spring-actuated, e.g. by a clockwork
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/28 Syringe ampoules or carpules, i.e. ampoules or carpules provided with a needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31531 Microsyringes, e.g. having piston bore diameter close or equal to needle shaft diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31593 Multi-dose, i.e. individually set dose repeatedly administered from the same medicament reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/32 Needles; Details of needles pertaining to their connection with syringe or hub infusion needles A61M5/158; Accessories for bringing the needle into, or holding the needle on, the body A61M5/42, A61M5/46 take precedence; guide needles for catheters A61M25/065; Devices for protection of needles apparatus specially adapted for cleaning or sterilising needles A61M5/001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/42 having means for desensitising skin, for protruding skin to facilitate piercing, or for locating point where body is to be pierced

Abstract

A wearable drug delivery device that can deliver a liquid drug stored in a container to a patient is provided. The container can be a prefilled cartridge that can be loaded into the drug delivery device by the patient or that can be preloaded within the drug delivery device when provided to the patient. A sealed end of the container is pierced to couple the stored liquid drug to a needle conduit that is coupled to a needle insertion component that provides access to the patient. A drive system of the drug delivery device can expel the liquid drug from the cartridge to the patient through the needle conduit. The drive system can be controlled to provide the liquid drug to the patient in a single dose or over multiple doses.

Claims

1. A drug delivery device, comprising:

a drug container for storing a liquid drug, a first end of the drug container sealed by a plunger;

a needle conduit coupled to the plunger;

a needle insertion component coupled to the needle conduit; and

a drive component coupled to the plunger, the drive component comprising a drive spring and a plurality of spheres,

wherein the drive spring is directly coupled to at least one of the plurality of spheres,

wherein the drive spring comprises two or more compression springs,

wherein the two or more compression springs are arranged in series,

wherein and at least one of the two or more compression springs is positioned between two adjacent spheres of the plurality of spheres.

2. The drug delivery device of claim 1, wherein the plunger is movable toward a second end of the drug container by operation of the drive component to expel the liquid drug out of the drug container through the needle conduit.

3. The drug delivery device of claim 2, wherein the needle conduit is arranged to enable the liquid drug to be expelled from the drug container in a direction opposite to a direction of a movement of the plunger.

4. The drug delivery device of claim 1, wherein the needle insertion component comprises a soft needle and a hard needle.

5. The drug delivery device of claim 4, wherein the needle conduit is coupled to the soft needle.

6. The drug delivery device of claim 1, wherein the needle conduit is directly coupled to the plunger.

7. The drug delivery device of claim 1, further comprising a track providing a pathway for the plurality of spheres.

8. The drug delivery device of claim 7, wherein the track comprises a circular cross-sectional shape.

9. The drug delivery device of claim 8, wherein the drive spring and the plurality of spheres are positioned inside of the track.

10. The drug delivery device of claim 9, wherein the track comprises stainless steel.

11. A drug delivery device, comprising:

a drug container for storing a liquid drug, a first end of the drug container sealed by a plunger;

a needle conduit coupled to the plunger;

a needle insertion component coupled to the needle conduit;

a drive component coupled to the plunger, the drive component comprising a drive spring and one or more spheres; and

a drug container access component positioned between the plunger and a first sphere of the one or more spheres of the drive component, wherein an end of the needle conduit is positioned within the plunger and the drug container access component is configured to maintain the end of the needle conduit within the plunger when the drug delivery device is in an idle state, wherein the drug container access component is configured to drive the end of the needle conduit through the plunger to couple the end of the needle conduit to the liquid drug when the drug delivery device is in an activated state, wherein the drug container access component further comprises a needle pilot component positioned adjacent to the plunger, a pusher plate component positioned adjacent to the first sphere, and a spacer spring positioned between the needle pilot component and the pusher plate component.

12. The drug delivery device of claim 11, wherein the spacer spring is configured to be in an expanded configuration when the drug delivery device is in the idle state to thereby maintain a space between the needle pilot component and the pusher plate component.

13. The drug delivery device of claim 12, wherein the spacer spring is configured to be in a compressed configuration when the drug delivery device is in the activated state.

14. The drug delivery device of claim 13, wherein when the drug delivery device is in the activated state, the first sphere applies a force on the pusher plate component to compress the spacer spring against the needle pilot component.

15. The drug delivery device of claim 14, wherein the force applied by the first sphere drives the end of the needle conduit through the plunger by driving the needle pilot component toward the plunger.