PROCESS FOR MILLING AND PREPARING POWDERS AND COMPOSITIONS PRODUCED THEREBY

• US 20080029625A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nanoshift, LLC
• Original Assignee: Nanotherapeutics, Inc. (National Resilience, Inc.)
• Inventors: Talton, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,074,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 241/21
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/14 Particulate form, e.g. powders, Processes for size reducing of pure drugs or the resulting products, Pure drug nanoparticles microspheres A61K9/16; microcapsules A61K9/50; nanocapsules, nanoparticles of the matrix type A61K9/51
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 19/06 Jet mills

Abstract

A method of milling a powder comprising introducing a gas stream containing a cryogenic liquid and a drug carrier gas into a jet mill, and milling a powder with the jet mill in one or more milling passes. A product produced by the method. A milling apparatus comprising a cryogenic gas input system, a powder feeder, a main jet-mill, and at least one output port for collecting the powder.

Claims

1. A method of milling a powder, comprising:

introducing a gas stream comprising cryogenic liquid and a dry carrier gas into a jet mill; and

milling a powder with said jet mill in one or more milling passes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the milling is a batch operation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the milling for more than one pass is done successively.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said gas stream comprises liquid nitrogen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said powder comprises one or more disintegrants, dispersion agents, solubilizers, surfactants, sugars, salts, fatty acid permeation enhancers, or drugs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said milling of said powder is performed in two or more successive milling passes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a shear mixing or grinding step of said powder.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said powder comprises particles having diameters from less than about 100 nanometers to greater than about 1 millimeter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said milling occurs at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius or lower.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said milling occurs at a temperature of about −

100 degrees Celsius to about 20 degrees Celsius.

11. A milled powder formed according to the method of claim 1.

12. A method of milling a powder, comprising:

introducing a gas stream comprising liquid nitrogen and a dry nitrogen gas into a jet mill; and

milling a powder comprising particles having a diameter of less than about 100 nanometers to greater than about 1 millimeter in said jet mill in two or more milling passes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said milling is a batch operation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said milling is done successively

15. A milling apparatus, comprising:

a cryogenic gas input system;

a powder feeder;

a main jet-mill; and

at least one output port from said jet-mill for collecting said powder.