Inhalation device for producing a drug aerosol
First Claim
1. A device for delivering a drug by inhalation, comprising:
- a) a chamber having upstream and downstream openings;
b) a drug supply unit that produces a drug vapor in a region of said chamber between said upstream and downstream openings;
c) a gas-flow control valve upstream of said region that limits gas flow from a user'"'"'s breath intake through said region to a selected flow rate or flow rate range, effective to condense said drug vapor to form an aerosol;
d) a bypass orifice communicating with said chamber at a point of communication, said bypass orifice being configured to allow bypass gas to enter said chamber under conditions of inhalation actuated selected pressure differential across said bypass orifice, the point of communication preventing the bypass gas from significantly varying the selected flow rate or flow rate range through said region; and
e) an actuation switch for causing said drug supply unit to produce said drug vapor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for delivering a drug by inhalation is disclosed. The device includes a body defining an interior flow-through chamber having upstream and downstream chamber openings, and a drug supply unit contained within the chamber for producing, upon actuation, a heated drug vapor in a condensation region of the chamber. Gas drawn through the chamber region at a selected gas-flow rate is effective to form drug condensation particles from the drug vapor having a selected MMAD between 0.02 and 0.1 MMAD or between 1 and 3.5 μm. A gas-flow control valve disposed upstream of the unit functions to limit gas-flow rate through the condensation region to the selected gas-flow rate. An actuation switch in the device activates the drug-supply unit, such that the drug-supply unit can be controlled to produce vapor when the gas-flow rate through the chamber is at the selected flow rate.
723 Citations
51 Claims
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1. A device for delivering a drug by inhalation, comprising:
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a) a chamber having upstream and downstream openings; b) a drug supply unit that produces a drug vapor in a region of said chamber between said upstream and downstream openings; c) a gas-flow control valve upstream of said region that limits gas flow from a user'"'"'s breath intake through said region to a selected flow rate or flow rate range, effective to condense said drug vapor to form an aerosol; d) a bypass orifice communicating with said chamber at a point of communication, said bypass orifice being configured to allow bypass gas to enter said chamber under conditions of inhalation actuated selected pressure differential across said bypass orifice, the point of communication preventing the bypass gas from significantly varying the selected flow rate or flow rate range through said region; and e) an actuation switch for causing said drug supply unit to produce said drug vapor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A device for delivering a drug by inhalation, comprising:
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a) a chamber having upstream and downstream ends; b) a drug supply unit that produces drug vapor in a region of said chamber between said upstream and downstream ends; c) an upstream orifice communicating with said chamber upstream of said region that limits gas flow from a user'"'"'s breath intake through said region to a selected flow rate or flow rate range, effective to condense said drug vapor to form an aerosol; d) a bypass orifice communicating with said chamber downstream of said region that allows gas to enter said chamber under conditions of inhalation actuated selected pressure differential across said bypass orifice; and e) an actuation switch for causing said drug supply unit to produce drug vapor. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A device for delivering a drug by inhalation, comprising:
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a) a chamber having upstream and downstream openings; b) a drug supply unit that produces a drug vapor in communication with a condensation region of said chamber between said upstream and downstream openings; c) a gas-flow control valve upstream of said drug supply unit that allows gas from a user'"'"'s breath intake to enter said condensation region at a selected flow rate or flow rate range to produce a condensation aerosol of a select particulate size range; d) a bypass orifice communicating with said chamber downstream of said gas-flow control valve at a location that allows gas to enter said chamber under conditions of inhalation actuated selected pressure differential across said bypass orifice without significantly varying the selected flow rate; and e) an actuation switch for causing said drug supply unit to produce said drug vapor. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A device for delivering a drug by inhalation, comprising:
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a) a chamber having upstream and downstream ends; b) a drug supply unit that produces drug vapor in communication with a condensation region of said chamber between said upstream and downstream ends; c) an upstream orifice communicating with said chamber upstream of said condensation region that allows gas from a user'"'"'s breath intake to enter said condensation region at a selected flow rate or flow rate range to produce a condensation aerosol of a select particle size range; (d) a bypass orifice communicating with said chamber downstream of said upstream orifice at a location that allows gas to enter said chamber under conditions of inhalation actuated selected gas pressure differential across said bypass orifice without significantly varying the selected flow rate; and d) an actuation switch for causing said drug supply unit to produce drug vapor. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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Specification