Drug dispenser

• US 7,225,805 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clinical Designs Limited (Mundipharma International Limited)
• Original Assignee: Clinical Designs Limited (Mundipharma International Limited)
• Inventors: Bacon, Raymond John
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu; Justine R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALI, SHUMAYA B
• Application Number:
  US10/433,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20040055596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.14, 128/200.23, 128/200.22, 128/203.12, 128/204.23, 128/203.15, 251/4, 251/10, 222/402.1, 222/528, 222/494, 239/337, 239/576
• US Class Current: 128/200.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/008 Electronic counters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/009 using medicine packages with incorporated spraying means, e.g. aerosol cans pocket atomiser of the injector type A61M11/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0091 mechanically breath-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0093 without arming or cocking, e.g. acting directly on the delivery valve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor

Abstract

A drug dispenser 1 has a hollow body 2 with a housing 6 for a pressurised can 7 containing a drug and its propellant arranged on top of the body. The can has an outlet stem 8 received in a socket 9 in an internal spigot 10. This has a junction with a flexible tube 11, leading to a kink valve pair 12,14. The tube continues on to a second internal spigot 15, having a spray nozzle 16 just within a breathing opening 5. The kink valve pair 12, 14 is formed as a moulding of the tube, with side wings 17. Towards the ends of the wings, they have thinner portions 17.1 at which there are apertures 18 immediately adjacent the tube. The arrangement defines positions at which the tube kinks to close its through bore 19. The thinner portions are provided in two positions, which provide the two kink valves. An intermediate section 20 of the tube, with a predetermined volume is provided between the kink valves.

Claims

1. A drug dispensing device for repetitive dispensing on successive inhalations of a drug released from a pressurised drug source with a can body, a delivery stem and a valve which is normally open in use of the device, the dispenser comprising:

a hollow body having;

a wall enclosing a breath passage within the hollow body,

an ambient opening to the breath passage,

a patient breathing opening to the breath passage,

a relatively broad can receptor attached to the hollow body for accommodating the can of the pressurised drug source,

a junction member attached to the hollow body at the can receptor for connection with the dispensing stem of the pressurised drug source and leading delivered drug from the dispensing stem, the junction member having a relatively narrow socket for receiving the dispensing stem,

a drug disperser for dispersing the delivered drug towards the patient breathing opening,

a drug duct from the junction member to the drug disperser, and

repetitive dose release means comprising;

at least one valve in the drug duct from the container to the disperser for releasing a dose to the drug disperser,

a breath detection member arranged in the breath passage to be acted on by breath passing therethrough and

a valve actuator operatively connected to the breath detection member and the valve both for opening the valve on each successive inhalation to release a dose and for closing the valve after the release for recharging of the drug duct upstream of the valve in preparation for release of the next dose,

the valve and the actuator being so arranged that;

on inhalation, with the breath detection member detecting such, the valve is opened to allow pressurised drug through a downstream portion of the drug duct and disperse from the drug disperser in the patient breathing opening;

the arrangement permitting a small dose of the drug to be repetitively released on each breath by the patient.

2. A drug dispensing device according to claim 1, including a breathing adapter at the patient breathing opening for guiding the delivered drug to a patient'"'"'s airway, the breathing adapter being one of a group comprising a mouthpiece, a face mask, an adapter for a mouthpiece, an adapter for a face mask or a spacer chamber.

3. A drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the valve is a dual in line valve arrangement having:

an upstream valve,

a downstream valve and

an intermediate section of the drug duct between the two valves,

the valve and the actuator being so arranged that;

on inhalation, with the breath detection member detecting such, the downstream valve is opened to allow pressurised drug in the said intermediate section to pass through a downstream portion of the drug duct and disperse from the drug disperser in the patient breathing opening and

subsequently the upstream valve is opened to allow pressurised drug to pass from an upstream portion of the drug duct into the intermediate section;

the arrangement permitting a small dose of the drug metered by the intermediate section to be repetitively released therefrom on each breath by the patient.

4. A drug dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the device is so arranged that it is on exhalation, with the breath detection member detecting such, that the upstream valve is opened for passage of the pressurised drug into the intermediate section.

5. A drug dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the device is so arranged that it is during the inhalation or during overlap between inhalation and exhalation, that the upstream valve is opened for passage of the pressurised drug into the intermediate section.

6. A drug dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the up-and down-stream valves are mechanically linked together, with one being closed when the other is open and vice versa.

7. A drug dispensing device according to claim 6, wherein the valves are adapted to be both closed together in a mid-position of their mechanical linkage.

8. A drug dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the up- and down-stream valves are electro-magnetic valves and the breath detection member is a transducer arranged in the breath passage.

9. A drug dispensing device according to claim 8, wherein the transducer is a temperature transducer, detecting inhalation by fall in temperature and exhalation by increase in temperature.

10. A drug dispensing device according to claim 8, wherein the transducer is a pressure transducer, detecting inhalation by fall in static pressure or increase in dynamic pressure on the ambient side of the transducer (or fall of dynamic pressure on the breathing adapter side) and exhalation by increase in static pressure decrease in dynamic pressure on the ambient side of the transducer (or increase of dynamic pressure on the breathing adapter side).

11. A drug dispensing device according to claim 8, wherein the transducer is a flow meter having a member movable in the direction of flow through the tube.

12. A drug dispensing device according to claim 8, including a counter arranged to be incremented by indications of breaths given by the transducer for counting the number of breaths and drug dispersals controlled by the valve arrangement.

13. A drug dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the up-and down-stream valves are mechanical valves arid the breath detection member is a movable flap or a slidably mounted piston arranged in the breath passage to be moved in accordance with breath past it and linked to the valves for their actuation.

14. A drug dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the breath detector is a pivotally mounted flap movable by the patient'"'"'s breathing between an inhalation position and an exhalation position and the valves—

or their actuation members—

are pivotally operated, the flap and the valves or their actuation members being connected together to open the upstream valve (the downstream valve being closed) on exhalation and movement of the flap away from the breathing adapter to fill the intermediate section with drug and opening the downstream valve (the upstream valve being closed) on inhalation and movement of the flap towards the breathing adapter to dispense the drug.

15. A drug dispensing device according to claim 14, wherein the valves are kink valves, that is to say valves having flexible tubes which are arranged to kink to close the valve and un-kink to open the valve.

16. A drug dispensing device according to claim 15, wherein the up- and down-stream portions of the drug duct are arranged to connect to the respectively opposite ends of the intermediate section via the kink valves, the said portions being on opposite sides of the intermediate section and describing a Z therewith, and the intermediate section being crankedly connected to the flap for movement transversely of the breath passage with movement of the flap therealong.

17. A drug dispensing device according to claim 15, wherein the up- and down-stream portions of the drug duct are arranged to connect to the respectively opposite ends of the intermediate section via the kink valves, the said portions both being to the same side of the intermediate section and describing a squat Δ

therewith, and the intermediate section being connected directly to the flap for movement along the breath passage with the flap.

18. A drug dispensing device according to claim 13, wherein the up- and down-stream valves are comprised in a rocker valve arrangement, having up- and down-stream pinch vales actuated by a rocker, itself actuated by a piston slidably accommodated in a cylinder open at both ends to the breath passage for inhalation pressure to move it one way and exhalation pressure to move it the other way, for corresponding opening of the pinch valves.

19. A drug dispenser according to claim 13, wherein the pressurised drug source has a release valve arranged to dispense drug continuously whilst the can and the delivery stem remain depressed towards each other, whereby the quantity of drug dispensed whilst the can is depressed corresponds to the quantity of drug per inhalation times the number of inhalations.

20. A drug dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the drug duct has a volume between the junction member and the valve corresponding to a plurality of the doses released on a plurality of inhalations for use with multiple doses from a metered dose pressurised drug source, whereby such plural depressions charges the duct with a determined quantity of drug for a plurality of inhalations.

21. A drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the valve is a single valve and the valve actuator includes means for closing the valve a predetermined time after its opening on inhalation, the arrangement being such that the predetermined dose of drug is released during the predetermined period under pressure from drug source.

22. A drug dispensing device according to claim 21, wherein:

the single valve is an electro-mechanical valve,

the breath detection member is a transducer arranged in the breath passage and

the valve actuator includes a control circuit adapted and arranged to open the valve for a predetermined period on detection of inhalation and then to close the valve.

23. A drug dispenser comprising a dispensing device according to claim 1 in combination with a pressurised drug source, the can body being accommodated in the receptor and the delivery stem being connected to the junction member.

24. A drug dispenser according to claim 23, wherein the pressurised drug source has a metered dose valve for releasing a predetermined drug dose on each depression of the delivery stem and the can towards each other.