Inhaler

An inhaler for delivery of a medicament by inhalation, the inhaler comprising:

• an inhaler body for receiving a canister having a dispensing valve;
• a drive mechanism comprising a biasing member and a displaceable member, the drive mechanism for driving the canister, when received in the inhaler body, from a rest position in which the valve is closed to at least an actuating position in which the valve is open, the drive mechanism driving the canister when the biasing member is released from a loaded configuration to move the displaceable member from a first position to a second position;
• a resetting mechanism for resetting the drive mechanism by moving the displaceable member from the second position to the first position and reloading the biasing member to the loaded configuration;
• and
• a return mechanism for returning the canister from the actuating position to the rest position;
• wherein the return mechanism comprises a damping system, the damping system configured to enable the canister to automatically return from the actuating position to the rest position within a predetermined time period measured from the release of the biasing member from the loaded configuration, and wherein the damping system comprises a rotary damper that is configured to assist in controlling a speed of the canister during at least a portion of movement of the canister between the actuating position and the rest position.

A method of dispensing medicament from an inhaler, the method comprising:

• releasing a biasing member of a drive mechanism of the inhaler from a loaded configuration;
• moving, by the released biasing member, a displaceable member of the drive mechanism from a first position to a second position to drive a canister, received in a body of the inhaler, from a rest position, in which a valve of the canister is closed, to at least an actuating position, in which the valve is open;
• automatically returning the canister from the actuating position to the rest position within a predetermined time period measured from the release of the biasing member from the loaded configuration, the automatic return of the canister being regulated by a return mechanism comprising a damping system having a rotary damper configured to assist in controlling a speed of a canister during at least a portion of movement of the canister between the actuating position and the rest position;
• and
• resetting the drive mechanism with a resetting mechanism that moves the displaceable member from the second position to the first position and reloads the biasing member to the loaded configuration.