Recovery system

• US 20070016160A1
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eisai R & D Management Company Limited (Eisai Medical Research Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Eisai Company Limited (Eisai Medical Research Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ballance, Eddie, Grobin, Allen, Mann, Brad
• Granted Patent: US 7,815,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/407
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 2101/02 Gases or liquids enclosed in discarded articles, e.g. aerosol cans or cooling systems of refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 3/00 Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless

Abstract

A system allows for the safe, rapid, efficient recovery of a drug solution from sealed vials. The system is closed so that highly potent compounds can later be recovered and reworked without large investment in further engineering controls. The system includes three main components: a recovery device that holds sealed vials containing a solution, and provides means to access the contents of the vials; a peristaltic pump that pumps solution out of the vials; and a recovery tank that receives the pumped solution.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recovering a solution from a plurality of stoppered vials, the apparatus comprising:

a vial holder to hold the plurality of vials stopper side down, the holder being manually movable into and out of a liquid recovery position;

a plurality of hollow needles capable of puncturing the stoppers of the vials and positioned beneath the vials, the plurality of needles and the holder being movable relative to each other between a first position in which the needles are spaced from the stoppers of the vials and a second position in which the needles puncture the stoppers of the vials;

a pump to extract a solution from the vials;

a recovery vessel to collect the solution from the vials; and

tubing connecting the needles to the pump and to the recovery vessel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the vials has a smaller diameter neck and a wider diameter body to define a shoulder, the vials each resting within the holder such that the shoulder is in contact with the holder to limit downward movement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the needles contact a proximal end of the vials, the apparatus further comprising a stop bar for contacting a distal end of the vials to prevent the vials from moving when the vials and needles come into contact.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where the vial holder is replaceable with a holder holding a next set of vials.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising actuation controls for the needles to move from the lower position to the upper position, the controls requiring two simultaneous actions to cause the movement of the holder relative to the needles.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controls include two push buttons positioned so that the buttons cannot be operated with one hand.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, where the needles are moved with a pneumatic drive.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, where the pump is activated with a foot pedal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, where the pump is a peristaltic pump.

10. An apparatus for recovering a solution from a plurality of stoppered vials, the apparatus comprising:

a vial holder to hold the plurality of vials stopper side down, the holder being movable into and out of a liquid recovery position;

a plurality of hollow needles capable of puncturing the stoppers of the vials and positioned beneath the vials;

the plurality of needles and the holder being movable relative to each other between a first position in which the needles are spaced from the stoppers of the vials and a second position in which the needles puncture the stoppers of the vials;

a pump coupled to the needles to extract a solution from the vials; and

actuation controls for the needles to move from the lower position to the upper position, the controls requiring two simultaneous actions to cause the movement of the holder relative to the needles.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controls include two push buttons positioned so that the buttons cannot be operated with one hand.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, where the needles are moved with a pneumatic drive.

13. An apparatus for recovering a solution from a plurality of stoppered vials, the apparatus comprising:

a vial holder to hold the plurality of vials stopper side down, the holder being movable into and out of a liquid recovery position;

a plurality of hollow needles capable of puncturing the stoppers of the vials and positioned beneath the vials, the plurality of needles and the holder being movable relative to each other between a first position in which the needles are spaced from the stoppers of the vials and a second position in which the needles puncture the stoppers of the vials; and

a pump to extract a solution from the vials;

each of the vials having a smaller diameter neck and a wider diameter body to define a shoulder, the vials each resting within the holder such that the shoulder is in contact with the holder to limit downward movement;

the needles contacting a proximal end of the vials, the apparatus further comprising a stop bar for contacting a distal end of the vials to prevent the vials from moving when the vials and needles come into contact.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a recovery vessel and a manifold coupled to the needles for providing the liquid to the vessel.