Methods and apparatus for the delivery of solid drug compositions
First Claim
1. A method of automatically administering a drug to a patient according to a predetermined delivery profile, the method comprising:
- obtaining a device comprising a housing;
a reservoir operatively connected to the housing and loaded with a solid composition comprising the drug;
a transit assembly attached to said housing and configured to allow the solid composition to pass out of the housing;
an actuator arranged within the housing to move the solid composition from the reservoir to a transit assembly, wherein the solid composition exits the housing at the transit assembly, and a controller that acts on the actuator to adjust movement of the solid composition out of the housing according to the predetermined delivery profile;
programming the controller of the device to cause the actuator to move the solid composition to the transit area according to the predetermined delivery profile;
bringing the transit area into contact with the body fluids of the patient, and providing energy to the controller and the actuator to move the composition from the reservoir to the transit area to deliver the drug to body fluids of the patient according to the predetermined delivery profile.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention features an implantable device for the automatic delivery of an active ingredient according to an adjustable delivery profile. The device includes a housing; a reservoir operatively connected to the housing and arranged to store a solid composition including the active ingredient; an actuator arranged within the housing to move the solid composition from the reservoir to a transit area, wherein the solid composition exits the housing at the transit area; a controller that acts on the actuator to adjust movement of the solid composition out of the housing according to the adjustable delivery profile; and a power source arranged to provide energy to the actuator and the controller. The solid composition can be an elongate, solid composition comprising a drug, and up to 90% of a carrier, wherein the composition has a cross-section of less than 0.5 mm, and wherein the drug and the carrier are selected and compounded in a proportion such that the drug is immediately released from the carrier upon contact with a liquid.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method of automatically administering a drug to a patient according to a predetermined delivery profile, the method comprising:
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obtaining a device comprising a housing;
a reservoir operatively connected to the housing and loaded with a solid composition comprising the drug;
a transit assembly attached to said housing and configured to allow the solid composition to pass out of the housing;
an actuator arranged within the housing to move the solid composition from the reservoir to a transit assembly, wherein the solid composition exits the housing at the transit assembly, and a controller that acts on the actuator to adjust movement of the solid composition out of the housing according to the predetermined delivery profile;
programming the controller of the device to cause the actuator to move the solid composition to the transit area according to the predetermined delivery profile;
bringing the transit area into contact with the body fluids of the patient, and providing energy to the controller and the actuator to move the composition from the reservoir to the transit area to deliver the drug to body fluids of the patient according to the predetermined delivery profile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method of making a solid drug filament, said method comprising;
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preparing a non-solid form of said drug, extruding said non-solid drug into an elongate filament having a cross-section of less than 0.5 mm and a surface area to drug ratio of at least 10 square millimeters per milligram of said drug, and solidifying said filament to form the solid drug filament. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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Specification