DRY POWDER INHALER

• US 20090084380A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrew W. Gieschen, Bemard Greenspan, Charles F. Ganem, Jeffrey Chen, Michael Ligotke
• Original Assignee: Andrew W. Gieschen, Bemard Greenspan, Charles F. Ganem, Jeffrey Chen, Michael Ligotke
• Inventors: Greenspan, Bemard, Ganem, Charles F., Chen, Jeffrey, Ligotke, Michael, Gieschen, Andrew W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/203.150
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0008 rotating by airflow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0031 by bursting or breaking the package, i.e. without cutting or piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0043 Non-destructive separation of the package, e.g. peeling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0045 using multiple prepacked dosages on a same carrier, e.g. blisters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0048 the dosages being arranged in a plane, e.g. on diskettes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0086 Inhalation chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/02 with activated or ionised fluids, e.g. electrohydrodynamic [EHD] or electrostatic devices; Ozone-inhalators with radioactive tagged particles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/064 Powder
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/43 making noise when used correctly
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/16 Rotating swirling helical flow, e.g. by tangential inflows
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/18 Coaxial flows, e.g. one flow within another

Abstract

A dry powder inhaler has a dispersion chamber containing beads. A dose of dry powder is released into the chamber, or into an inlet tangentially joining into the chamber. As the patient inhales on a nosepiece or mouthpiece, air moves circularly through the dispersion chamber to drive the beads. The beads roll, bounce, and collide repeatedly with the drug particles on the chamber surfaces or on the beads. The smaller active drug particles are separated from larger carrier particles and from each other, and a powder aerosol is created and inhaled by the patient. The beads are preferably lightweight, so that they can be rapidly accelerated and moved, even with nominal inspiration. The flow resistance of the inhaler is also reduced via the beads, allowing greater airflow and powder dispersion, without any increased effort by the patient.

Claims

1. A dry powder inhaler, comprising:

a dry powder source;

a dispersion chamber;

an inlet providing an inlet flow path from the dry powder source to the dispersion chamber;

a mouthpiece;

an outlet providing an outlet flow path from the dispersion chamber into the mouthpiece; and

at least one sheath air inlet providing a sheath air flow path into the mouthpiece.

2. The dry powder inhaler of claim 1 with the outlet comprising an outlet tube extending from the dispersion chamber at least partially into the mouthpiece, and with the sheath air inlet oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the outlet tube.

3. The dry powder inhaler of claim 1 with the sheath air inlet leading into an annular sheath air flow region surrounding the outlet.

4. The dry powder inhaler of claim 1 with the sheath air inlet extending radially inwardly relative to the mouthpiece and forming a first section of the sheath air flow path, and further comprising a second section of the sheath air flow path extending generally perpendicular to the first section and generally parallel to the mouthpiece.

5. The inhaler of claim 1 further comprising:

the dispersion chamber having an open central interior area;

a curved outer wall in the dispersion chamber forming a bead race in the dispersion chamber; and

at least one bead in the dispersion chamber, with the bead having a diameter or characteristic dimension of at least 50 to 90% of an interior height of the dispersion chamber.

6. The inhaler of claim 1 wherein the dispersion chamber is disk-shaped.

7. The inhaler of claim 1 wherein the bead race has a radius of curvature greater than a radius of curvature of the bead.

8. The inhaler of claim 6 wherein the dispersion chamber has a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface adjoining the bead race.

9. The inhaler of claim 1 further comprising means for retaining the at least one bead in the dispersion chamber.

10. The inhaler of claim 1 wherein the bead has a diameter or characteristic dimension which allows the bead to move around chaotically in the dispersion chamber when a patient inhales on the outlet.

11. The inhaler of claim 1 further comprising a dose platform adjacent to the inlet, for holding a dose of a dry powder pharmaceutical.

12. The inhaler of claim 1 wherein the dispersion chamber has a characteristic dimension that is from 4 to 20 times greater than the characteristic dimension of the bead.

13. A dry powder inhaler, comprising:

a dry powder source;

a dispersion chamber;

a mouthpiece;

a powder flow path connecting from the dry powder source into the dispersion chamber, and from the dispersion chamber into the mouthpiece, for moving powder laden air from the dry powder source to the dispersion chamber and into the mouthpiece; and

a sheath air flow path connecting into the mouthpiece, separate from the powder flow path, for moving ambient air into the mouthpiece.

14. The dry powder inhaler of claim 13 with the dry powder source comprising a dose platform and a dose opening in the dose platform to allow dry powder to move from the dose platform, through the dose opening and into the powder flow path.

15. The dry powder inhaler of claim 13 further comprising a bead storage compartment attached to the dispersion chamber;

one or more beads in the bead storage compartment, and a retainer holding the beads in the bead storage compartment until the inhaler is used.

16. The dry powder inhaler of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of outlets between the dispersion chamber and the mouthpiece.

17. A dry powder inhaler, comprising:

an inhaler housing;

a dry powder source in or on the inhaler housing;

a dispersion chamber within the housing;

an inlet providing an inlet flow path from the dry powder source to the dispersion chamber;

a mouthpiece;

an outlet providing an outlet flow path from the dispersion chamber into the mouthpiece;

at least one sheath air inlet providing a sheath air flow path into the mouthpiece; and

the dispersion chamber provided as a separate component that can be removed from the housing, and replaced with another dispersion chamber.