DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE

• US 20090270834A1
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Meuwese, Mark Theo, Timmermans, Henry, Rubingh, Jen-Eric Jack Martijn, Nisato, Giovanni, Dijksman, Johan Frederik
• Application Number:
  US12/438,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20090270834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0019 Injectable compositions; Intramuscular, intravenous, arterial, subcutaneous administration; Compositions to be administered through the skin in an invasive manner non-active ingredients are additionally classified in A61K47/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0021 Intradermal administration, e.g. through microneedle arrays, needleless injectors mechanical aspects A61M
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0024 Solid, semi-solid or solidifying implants, which are implanted or injected in body tissue compositions for intravenous administration, normal injectable solutions or dispersions for, e.g. subcutaneous administration A61K9/0019; brain implants A61K9/0085; (coated) prostheses, catheters or stents A61L
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0097 Micromachined devices; Microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]; Devices obtained by lithographic treatment of silicon; Devices comprising chips intradermal microneedle arrays A61K9/0021; MEMS in general B81B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0288 Electro-rheological or magneto-rheological materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/204 connected to external reservoirs for multiple refilling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/30 Syringes for injection by jet action, without needle, e.g. for use with replaceable ampoules or carpules

Abstract

The invention refers to an electrically actuated, needle-free injection device. The main field of application is drug delivery. The device is based on a piezoelectric actuator (11). The device enables controlled, continuous, tuneable drug delivery. The device enables painless injection, personalized and programmable dosage profiles. The device is designed, both to pierce the epidermis for trans-epidermal drug delivery and to deliver controlled amounts of fluid (transdermal, electronic pill and implantable drug delivery). This type of device enables personalized drug delivery and is an enabling component for closed-loop drug delivery systems.

Claims

1. Drug delivery device, comprising a casing (10, 20) with a fluid chamber (17), a membrane (16, 26) forming a wall of the fluid chamber, the fluid chamber further comprising at least one exit orifice (18, 28) and the membrane being piezoelectrically actuatable for fluid ejection from the fluid chamber (17) through the exit orifice, wherein a speed of the fluid ejection is adjustable by controlling the piezoelectric actuation of the membrane (16, 26).

2. Drug delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the speed of the fluid ejection is adjustable to a high speed regime and at least one dispensing regime.

3. Drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the fluid ejection speed in the high speed regime is sufficient for injecting the fluid through at least an outer layer of the skin of a patient.

4. Drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the fluid ejection speed in the high speed regime is controllable, preferably between 60 m/s and 200 m/s.

5. Drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein a voltage for piezoelectric actuation of the membrane is stepwisely changeable in the high speed regime, preferably comprising a voltage peak value between 20 V and 100 V and pulse duration between 10 μ

s and 1000 μ

s.

6. Drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the dispensing regime is a jet-dispensing regime, the fluid ejection speed preferably being adjustable between 10 m/s and 60 m/s.

7. Drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the dispensing regime is a slow-dispensing regime, the fluid ejection speed preferably being adjustable between 0 m/s and 10 m/s.

8. Drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein a voltage for piezoelectric actuation of the membrane is changeable in the dispensing regimes, such as to form square pulses, the pulses preferably comprising a pulse duration of 10 μ

s to 1000 μ

s.

9. Drug delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a fluid intake (15, 25), the fluid chamber (17) being self filling via the fluid intake, by capillary force.

10. Drug delivery device according to claim 1, comprising an piezoelectric transducer (11, 21), the membrane (16, 26) being actuated by the piezoelectric transducer.

11. Drug delivery device according to claim 10, the membrane (26) being decoupled from the piezoelectric transducer (21).

12. Drug delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection means for detecting the pressure in the fluid chamber (17), the detection means preferably being a piezoelectric transducer.

13. Drug delivery device according to claim 1, the membrane being an active piezoelectric membrane.

14. Drug delivery device according to claim 1, wherein a voltage for piezoelectric actuation of the membrane (16, 26) is pulsed, the pulses being adjustable such that a frequency of the fluid ejection is multiplied by harmonic resonance in the fluid chamber (17).

15. Drug delivery system comprising a drug delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller (50) for controlling the fluid ejection speed, an amount of fluid ejected and/or a frequency of fluid ejection.

16. Ingestible electronic pill drug delivery system comprising a drug delivery device according to claim 1.

17. Implantable drug delivery system comprising a drug delivery device according to claim 1.

18. Needle less transdermal drug delivery system comprising a drug delivery device according to claim 1.

19. Method for administration of a drug to a patient by a drug delivery system comprising a drug delivery device according to claim 1, comprising the steps of

piercing at least an outer layer of the patient'"'"'s skin by ejecting the fluid in a high speed regime at an ejection speed of more than 60 m/s,

dispensing the drug through the patient'"'"'s outer skin layer by ejecting the fluid in a dispensing regime at an ejection speed below 60 m/s, preferably in a slow-dispensing regime below 10 m/s.

20. Method according to claim 19, wherein the amount of ejected fluid and/or the frequency of fluid ejection in the dispensing regime is controlled by a microcontroller (50), in particular depending upon a specific blood concentration of the drug.