Processes for delivery of viscous drug therapies
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsEric C. Scribben, Steven M. Risser, Amy M. Heintz, Jeffrey L. Ellis, John D. Clay, Timothy M. Blum
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Core annular flow is used to enable the subcutaneous delivery of a viscous fluid such as a protein therapeutic formulation. The high-viscosity fluid is surrounded by a low-viscosity fluid, and the low-viscosity fluid lubricates the passage of the high-viscosity fluid. This allows the use of protein formulations that have a higher concentration and a higher viscosity at comparatively reduced injection forces and reduced injection times. Several different embodiments of injection devices that provide core annular flow are described herein.
Claims9
An injection device for delivering a high-viscosity fluid, comprising:
- a barrel having an interior space formed by a sidewall for containing at least a high-viscosity fluid to be dispensed by the injection device, a plunger end, and an open end, the open end including a nozzle having a constriction point and an orifice;
- wherein the interior space of the barrel includes an inner concentric wall positioned within the sidewall, wherein the inner concentric wall defines an inner compartment having the high-viscosity fluid and an outer compartment having a low-viscosity fluid within the barrel, and wherein the inner concentric wall has one or more openings permitting fluid communication between the inner compartment and the outer compartment;
- a plunger movably operable within at least one of the inner compartment and the outer compartment of the barrel;
- wherein the plunger is adapted to provide a depressing force substantially concurrently to the high-viscosity fluid within the inner compartment and the low-viscosity fluid within the outer compartment, thereby producing an annulus of the low-viscosity fluid around a core of the high-viscosity fluid as the low-viscosity and high-viscosity fluids are dispensed from the orifice;
- wherein a ratio of the viscosity of the high-viscosity fluid to the viscosity of the low-viscosity fluid is from 60 to 200;
- and wherein the high viscosity fluid has an absolute viscosity of from 5 centipoise to about 1000 centipoise.
An injection device for delivering a high-viscosity fluid, comprising:
- a barrel having an interior space formed by a sidewall for containing at least a high-viscosity fluid to be dispensed by the injection device, a plunger end, and an open end, the open end including a nozzle having a constriction point and an orifice;
- wherein the interior space of the barrel includes an inner concentric wall positioned within the sidewall, wherein the inner concentric wall defines an inner compartment having the high-viscosity fluid and an outer compartment having a low-viscosity fluid within the barrel, and wherein the inner concentric wall has one or more openings permitting fluid communication between the inner compartment and the outer compartment;
- a plunger movably operable within at least one of the inner compartment and the outer compartment of the barrel;
- wherein the plunger is adapted to provide a depressing force substantially concurrently to the high-viscosity fluid within the inner compartment and the low-viscosity fluid within the outer compartment, thereby producing an annulus of the low-viscosity fluid around a core of the high-viscosity fluid as the fluids are dispensed from the orifice;
- and further comprising a wire extending longitudinally at the orifice.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.