Method for the production of pharmaceutical products

• US 8,539,989 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Health Robotics S.r.l (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Giribona, Paolo, Bianco, Walter, Minisini, Michele, de Viedma Santoro, Garcia Gaspar
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARNETT, NICOLAS ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US12/870,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20120048419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 141/1, 141/2, 141/5, 141/85, 141/89, 141/91, 141/98, 141/104, 604/416
• US Class Current: 141/91
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/10 Bag-type containers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/002 Compounding apparatus specially for enteral or parenteral nutritive solutions bottling liquids B67C
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like

Abstract

A method for the preparation of pharmaceutical products according to which a diluent is fed into a container containing a lyophilized or powdered pharmaceutical through a needle, which is then extracted from the container, inserted in its protective cap, and rinsed by feeding the diluent through the needle and into the protective cap itself.

Claims

1. A method for the preparation of pharmaceutical products comprising the steps of:

feeding a container (7) containing a lyophilized or powdered pharmaceutical into a dilution station (75);

inserting a needle (78) into the container (7);

feeding a diluent into the container (7) by means of the needle (78); and

extracting the needle (78) from the container (7);

and characterized in that it further comprises the steps of;

inserting the needle (78) into a protective cap thereof (85); and

feeding the diluent through the needle (78) and into its protective cap (85) to rinse the needle (78) itself.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising the following step:

inserting the protective cap (85) in a collection reservoir (82) of the diluent fed through the needle (78).

3. A method according to claim 2 comprising the step of:

discharging the diluent from the collection reservoir (82) into a collection manifold (83).

4. A method according to claim 3 comprising the steps of

lowering the collection reservoir (83) to disengage the needle (78) from the protective cap (85);

and

lifting the collection reservoir (83) to engage the needle (78) in the protective cap (85).

5. A method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

aspirating the diluent from a containment reservoir (77) by means of a syringe (80); and

feeding the diluent to the needle (78) by means of the syringe (80) itself.

6. Method according to claim 1, comprising the following step:

rinsing the needle (70) with an amount of diluent sufficient to rinse the protective cap (85) as well.