OCULAR IMPLANT DELIVERY ASSEMBLIES

• US 20080097335A1
• Filed: 10/25/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Allergan Incorporated (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Allergan Incorporated (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chang, James N., Trogden, John T., Robinson, Michael R., Lyons, Robert T.
• Application Number:
  US11/552,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097335A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0051 Ocular inserts, ocular implants

Abstract

Ocular implant delivery assemblies are provided which include a cannula having a lumen extending therethrough, a proximal end, a proximal end opening, a distal end, a distal end opening, and a lumen extending through the cannula. A removable distal closure element is provided for closing the distal end opening, and a removable proximal closure element is provided for closing the proximal end opening. An ocular implant is located in the lumen. The implant may be sealed in the cannula without the addition of a liquid carrier or it may be contained in a liquid carrier medium in the cannula. The implant may be made up of a number of microparticles having different compositions or different forms. The assembly also includes a sleeve located on the proximal end of the cannula and suitable for coupling the assembly to a syringe containing a pushing gel.

Claims

1. An ocular implant delivery assembly comprising:

a cannula having a proximal end, a proximal end opening, a distal end, a distal end opening, and a lumen extending through the cannula;

a removable distal closure element positioned relative to the cannula to close the distal end;

a removable proximal closure element positioned relative to the cannula to close the proximal end; and

an ocular implant sized and adapted for implantation in an eye, the ocular implant being located in the cannula.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the cannula has an outside diameter no larger than a 25 gauge syringe needle.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lumen has a diameter of less than about 350 microns.

4. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a carrier medium located in the cannula.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the ocular implant comprises particles suspended in the carrier medium.

6. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the carrier medium comprises an aqueous component and a viscosity inducing component.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises a corticosteroid component.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein substantially no liquid material is present in the lumen with the ocular implant.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the distal closure element covers the distal end and the distal end opening.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the distal closure element comprises a polymeric material.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the distal closure element composes a silicone polymeric material.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the proximal closure element is positioned in or substantially directly adjacent the proximal end opening of the cannula.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the proximal closure element is positioned to seal the proximal end opening of the cannula.

14. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the proximal closure element comprises a polymeric material.

15. The assembly of claim 1 which further comprises an enlarged sleeve coupled to the cannula and extending proximally of the cannula, the sleeve being structured and positioned to facilitate coupling the cannula to a syringe.

16. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises a plurality of particles.

17. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises a plurality of particles in a one-by-one array along the length of the lumen.

18. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of spheres, rods, filaments, plaques and combinations thereof.

19. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises a plurality substantially uniformly sized microspheres.

20. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the plurality of particles includes a number of particles in a range of about 10 to about 200.

21. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the plurality of particles includes at least one of particles having different compositions and particles having different release rates.

22. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a force applying assembly coupled to the cannula and being structured, when activated to provide a force effective to urge the implant to exit the distal end of the cannula.

23. An ocular implant delivery assembly comprising:

a cannula having a proximal end, a proximal end opening, a distal end, a distal end opening, and a lumen extending through the cannula;

a removable distal closure element sealing the distal end opening;

a removable proximal closure element sealing the proximal end opening;

an ocular implant sized and adapted for implantation in an eye, the ocular implant being located in the cannula; and

a carrier medium located in the lumen.

24. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the carrier medium comprises a viscosity inducing component.

25. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the implant is substantially insoluble in the carrier medium.

26. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the implant comprises a plurality of particles in the carrier medium.

27. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the implant comprises a therapeutic component and a polymer component.

28. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the implant comprises a corticosteroid.

29. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the distal closure element comprises a polymeric material.

30. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the proximal closure element comprises a polymeric material.

31. An ocular implant delivery assembly comprising:

(a) a cannula having a proximal end, a proximal end opening, a distal end, a distal end opening, and a lumen extending through the cannula;

(b) an ocular implant sized and adapted for implantation in an eye, the ocular implant being located in the cannula, and;

(c) a distal plug positioned relative to the cannula to reduce the size of or close the distal end opening.

32. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the lumen is the lumen of a 25 gauge or higher syringe needle.

33. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the distal plug comprises a bioerodible polymeric material.

34. The assembly of claim 31, further comprising a force applying assembly coupled to the cannula and being structured, when activated, to provide a force effective to urge the implant to exit the distal end of the cannula.

35. The assembly of claim 34, wherein the distal plug is removable or can be pierced so as to permit passage of the implant out through the distal opening of the cannula.

36. The assembly of claim 31, which further comprises (d) a proximal plug positioned relative to the cannula to reduce the size of or close the proximal end opening.

38. The assembly of claim 36, wherein the lumen is the lumen of a 25 gauge or higher syringe needle.

39. The assembly of claim 36, wherein the distal plug comprises a bioerodible polymeric material.

40. The assembly of claim 36, further comprising a force applying assembly coupled to the cannula and being structured, when activated, to provide a force effective to urge the implant to exit the distal end of the cannula.

37. An ocular implant delivery assembly comprising:

(a) a cannula having a proximal end, a proximal end opening, a distal end, a distal end opening, and a lumen extending through the cannula;

(b) an ocular implant sized and adapted for implantation in an eye, the ocular implant being located in the cannula, and;

(c) a proximal plug positioned relative to the cannula to reduce the size of or close the proximal end opening.