VIAL ADAPTER FOR A NEEDLE-FREE SYRINGE

• US 20140261860A1
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PharmaJet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PharmaJet, Inc.
• Inventors: Heath, Michael, Cappello, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,345,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2037 having valve means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2055 having gripping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents

Abstract

A vial adapter for a needle-free injection syringe and methods of filling a needle-free syringe from a vial of injectable fluid. One vial adapter embodiment includes a housing and a compliant valve. The housing includes a central divider located between a vial opening and a needle-free syringe opening. The housing also includes a hollow center post extending from the central divider toward the needle-free syringe opening and a hollow filling needle extending from the central divider toward the vial opening. Together, the filling needle and center post provide for fluid communication between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening. The compliant valve includes a surface forming a fluid tight seal with the central divider and an inner passageway. In addition, a syringe sealing surface provides for a fluid tight seal with a needle-free syringe placed into contact with the compliant valve. The compliant valve includes an opening in the syringe sealing surface which is biased closed when no needle-free syringe is engaged with the vial adapter and which is opened when a needle-free syringe is fully engaged with the opening.

Claims

1. A vial adapter comprising:

a housing comprising;

a vial opening;

a needle-free syringe opening opposite the vial opening;

a central divider between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening;

a center post extending from the central divider toward the needle-free syringe opening; and

a filling needle extending from the central divider toward the vial opening, wherein the filling needle and center post define an inner lumen through the central divider, which provides for fluid communication between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening; and

a compliant valve operatively associated with the needle-free syringe opening of the housing, the compliant valve comprising;

a divider sealing surface forming a fluid tight seal with the central divider;

an inner passageway defined by a wall of the compliant valve;

a syringe sealing surface providing for a fluid tight seal with a needle-free syringe placed into contact with the compliant valve; and

an opening in the syringe sealing surface which is biased closed when no needle-free syringe is engaged with the vial adapter and which is opened when a needle-free syringe is engaged with the opening.

2. The vial adapter of claim 1 wherein the center post comprises an active valve surface and the inner passageway of the compliant valve defines a valve annulus which valve annulus is caused to slide over the active valve surface when a needle-free syringe is engaged with the vial adapter, thereby actively forcing the opening into an open configuration.

3. The vial adapter of claim 2 wherein no portion of the center post extends through the opening when the opening is forced into an open configuration.

4. The vial adapter of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a syringe mount associated with the needle-free syringe opening configured to engage with a needle-free syringe.

5. The vial adapter of claim 3 wherein the mount comprises a bayonet mount which causes the needle-free syringe to compress the compliant valve toward the divider sealing surface as a needle-free syringe is engaged with the syringe mount.

6. The vial adapter of claim 5 wherein the center post comprises an active surface and the inner passageway of the compliant valve defines a valve annulus which valve annulus is caused to slide over the active surface of the center post when a needle-free syringe is engaged with the vial adapter, thereby actively forcing the opening into an open configuration.

7. The vial adapter of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises multiple fingers associated with the vial opening which comprise clip surfaces configured to snap fit over a vial flange.

8. The vial adapter of claim 1 wherein the syringe sealing surface comprises a raised sealing ring providing for sealing engagement with a corresponding recessed ring surface of a needle-free syringe.

9. The vial adapter of claim 1 wherein the wall of the compliant valve comprises a plurality of accordion folds.

10. The vial adapter of claim 1 wherein an inner extension one or more of the accordion folds contact the center post when the compliant valve is compressed preventing the compliant valve from being tilted away from the axis of the center post.

11. A method of filling a needle-free syringe comprising:

providing a vial adapter comprising;

a housing comprising;

a vial opening;

a needle-free syringe opening opposite the vial opening;

a central divider between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening;

a center post extending from the central divider toward the needle-free syringe opening;

a filling needle extending from the central divider toward the vial opening, wherein the filling needle and center post define an inner lumen which provides for fluid communication through the central divider between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening; and

a compliant valve operatively associated with the needle-free syringe opening of the housing, the compliant valve comprising;

a divider sealing surface forming a fluid tight seal with the central divider;

an inner passageway defined by a wall of the compliant valve;

a syringe sealing surface providing for a fluid tight seal with a needle-free syringe when placed into contact with the compliant valve;

an opening in the syringe sealing surface which is biased closed when no needle-free syringe is engaged with the vial adapter and which opening is opened when a needle-free syringe is engaged with the opening;

attaching a vial of an injectable fluid to the vial opening thereby causing the filling needle to pierce a vial septum;

attaching a needle-free syringe to the needle-free syringe opening, thereby causing the opening in the syringe sealing surface to be opened; and

drawing injectable fluid from the vial, through the vial adapter and into the needle-free syringe.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising removing the needle-free syringe thereby allowing the opening in the syringe sealing surface to be biased closed.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the vial is a multi-dose vial, the method further comprising attaching a second needle-free syringe to the needle-free syringe opening, and drawing injectable fluid from the multi-dose vial into the second needle-free syringe.

14. The method claim 11 further comprising providing the center post with an active valve surface and providing the inner passageway of the compliant valve with a valve annulus which valve annulus is caused to slide over the active valve surface when the needle-free syringe is engaged with the vial adapter, thereby actively forcing the opening into an open configuration.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein no portion of the center post is caused to extend through the opening when the opening is forced into an open configuration.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a syringe mount which causes the needle-free syringe to compress the compliant valve toward the divider sealing surface as a needle-free syringe is engaged with the syringe mount.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing a housing with multiple fingers associated with the vial opening, said fingers comprising clip surfaces configured to snap fit over a vial flange; and

attaching the vial to the vial adapter by snap fitting the clip surfaces over a vial flange.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing a vial adapter having a syringe sealing surface comprising a raised sealing ring;

providing a needle-fee syringe comprising a corresponding recessed ring surface; and

causing a seal to form between the raised sealing ring and the recessed ring surface as the needle-free syringe is attached to the needle-free syringe opening.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing a vial adapter including a plurality of accordion folds defined by the wall of the compliant valve; and

preventing the compliant valve from being tilted away from the axis of the center post by contacting an inner extension one or more of the accordion folds with the center post as the compliant valve is compressed.

20. A system comprising:

a vial containing injectable fluid;

a needle-free syringe; and

a vial adapter comprising;

a housing comprising;

a vial opening providing for engagement with the vial containing injectable fluid;

a needle-free syringe opening opposite the vial opening;

a central divider between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening;

a center post extending from the central divider toward the needle-free syringe opening; and

a filling needle extending from the central divider toward the vial opening, wherein the filling needle and center post define an inner lumen through the central divider, which provides for fluid communication between the vial opening and the needle-free syringe opening; and

a compliant valve operatively associated with the needle-free syringe opening of the housing, the compliant valve comprising;

a divider sealing surface forming a fluid tight seal with the central divider;

an inner passageway defined by a wall of the compliant valve;

a syringe sealing surface providing for a fluid tight seal with the needle-free syringe when placed into contact with the compliant valve; and

an opening in the syringe sealing surface which is biased closed when the needle-free syringe is not engaged with the vial adapter and which is actively opened when the needle-free syringe is engaged with the opening.