Pulsatile drug delivery system
First Claim
1. A pulsatile drug delivery system which comprises an elongated container impervious to environmental fluids with an opening end and a driven end with an opening from the inside of the container to the environment at the opening end and a constant driving force operating at the driven end in a direction towards the opening end;
- a multiplicity of layers arranged lengthwise inside the container substantially filling the inside cross-section of the container and situated between the opening and the constant driving force with an expandable layer closest to the opening end containing one or more of a material which is therapeutically or nutritionally beneficial to be dispensed through the opening into the environment upon contact with the fluids of the environment and the layer adjacent thereto being a spacer layer inert to the fluids of the environment and the remainder of the multiplicity of layers alternating between the expandable layer and the spacer layer and wherein the rate of the dispensing of the expandable layer into the environment is greater than the rate of the constant driving force.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a novel drug delivery system which provides for intermittent drug delivery with readily adjustable intervals between drug delivery pulses. This is accomplished by providing a multilayer device in which layers of active drug are readily expandable or erodable when contacted with the environment in which the drug is to be administered. The drug layer is alternated with an inert layer and a multiplicity of such layers are contained within a tube impervious to such environment but provided with an opening into such environment. The multiplicity of such layers is driven along the length of such tube towards the opening. The interval between pulses is determined by the rate the layers are driven along the tube and the sizes of the layers. The duration of the pulse is determined by the rate of expansion or dispersion of the active layer into the environment, wherein the rate of expansion or dispersion is greater than the rate the layers are driven along the tube.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A pulsatile drug delivery system which comprises an elongated container impervious to environmental fluids with an opening end and a driven end with an opening from the inside of the container to the environment at the opening end and a constant driving force operating at the driven end in a direction towards the opening end;
- a multiplicity of layers arranged lengthwise inside the container substantially filling the inside cross-section of the container and situated between the opening and the constant driving force with an expandable layer closest to the opening end containing one or more of a material which is therapeutically or nutritionally beneficial to be dispensed through the opening into the environment upon contact with the fluids of the environment and the layer adjacent thereto being a spacer layer inert to the fluids of the environment and the remainder of the multiplicity of layers alternating between the expandable layer and the spacer layer and wherein the rate of the dispensing of the expandable layer into the environment is greater than the rate of the constant driving force.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification