Posterior segment drug delivery
First Claim
1. An implantable therapeutic device to treat an eye of a patient having a posterior chamber and a sclera, the therapeutic device comprising:
- a rigid, hollow, refillable body for implantation within the posterior chamber of the eye through a penetration in the sclera, the body formed of a substantially rigid, impermeable wall of biocompatible material, the body having a proximal cap portion adapted to be positioned outside the sclera, an intermediate neck portion, and a distal reservoir portion adapted to reside in the posterior chamber such that the sclera is positioned about the neck portion when the device is positioned in the eye, wherein the neck portion has a smaller transverse outer dimension than at least one transverse outer dimension of the cap portion and at least one transverse outer dimension of the reservoir portion;
the cap portion adapted to receive an injection of a therapeutic agent into the reservoir and to remain external to the posterior chamber; and
a rigid porous structure having a plurality of interconnecting, irregularly shaped channels, said rigid porous structure coupled to a discrete, distal portion of the reservoir and tuned to release therapeutic amounts of a therapeutic agent from the reservoir through said plurality of channels and into said posterior chamber for an extended time, wherein the therapeutic device has a substantially fixed volume during implantation and use.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A therapeutic device to release a therapeutic agent comprises a porous structure coupled to a container comprising a reservoir. The reservoir comprises a volume sized to release therapeutic amounts of the therapeutic agent for an extended time when coupled to the porous structure and implanted in the patient. The porous structure may comprise a first side coupled to the reservoir and a second side to couple to the patient to release the therapeutic agent. A plurality of interconnecting channels can extend from the first side to the second side so as to connect a first a plurality of openings on the first side with a second plurality of openings on the second side.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. An implantable therapeutic device to treat an eye of a patient having a posterior chamber and a sclera, the therapeutic device comprising:
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a rigid, hollow, refillable body for implantation within the posterior chamber of the eye through a penetration in the sclera, the body formed of a substantially rigid, impermeable wall of biocompatible material, the body having a proximal cap portion adapted to be positioned outside the sclera, an intermediate neck portion, and a distal reservoir portion adapted to reside in the posterior chamber such that the sclera is positioned about the neck portion when the device is positioned in the eye, wherein the neck portion has a smaller transverse outer dimension than at least one transverse outer dimension of the cap portion and at least one transverse outer dimension of the reservoir portion; the cap portion adapted to receive an injection of a therapeutic agent into the reservoir and to remain external to the posterior chamber; and a rigid porous structure having a plurality of interconnecting, irregularly shaped channels, said rigid porous structure coupled to a discrete, distal portion of the reservoir and tuned to release therapeutic amounts of a therapeutic agent from the reservoir through said plurality of channels and into said posterior chamber for an extended time, wherein the therapeutic device has a substantially fixed volume during implantation and use. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A therapeutic device to treat an eye of a patient, the eye having a posterior chamber and a sclera, the therapeutic device comprising:
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a rigid-walled reservoir having a volume, the reservoir adapted to reside in the posterior chamber when the device is implanted in the eye; a rigid, porous structure having a plurality of intersecting, irregularly shaped channels, the porous structure located at a distal region of the reservoir, said porous structure and rigid-walled reservoir tuned to release a predetermined rate profile of a particular therapeutic agent from the reservoir through said plurality of channels and into the posterior chamber to treat the eye for an extended period of time; a proximal cap portion adapted to be positioned outside the sclera when the device is implanted in the eye, the cap portion comprising a retention structure and a penetrable, non-permeable barrier to introduce said therapeutic agent into said device without any need to explant the device during introduction of the therapeutic agent into the reservoir chamber; and a neck portion positioned between the cap portion and the reservoir portion, wherein the sclera is positioned about the neck portion when the device is positioned in the eye, and wherein the cap portion has a cross-sectional shape that is different than a cross-sectional shape of the reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification