Delivery device for drug pellets

A handheld and portable medicament dispenser, comprising:

• a housing that includes an electromechanical actuator, and a battery configured to power the electromechanical actuator;
• and
• one or more replaceable medicament cartridges insertable into the housing, wherein each replaceable medicament cartridge comprises in one replaceable unit:
• a chamber containing a plurality of free flowing medicament pellets each having a largest dimension of between about 150 μm and about 1500 μm;
• a screw pump configured to receive pellets from the chamber and, upon rotation of the screw pump, transport the pellets from the chamber to be dispensed from the dispenser via the screw pump;
• a rotating member extending through the cartridge and configured to rotate the screw pump so as to dispense pellets therefrom;
• a valve connected to an outlet of the screw pump and configured to close the screw pump so as to prevent pellets from being dispensed from the screw pump outside of a dispensing operation when the screw pump is not being rotated, and to permit pellets to be dispensed from the screw pump during a dispensing operation upon rotation of the screw pump;
• and
• a plunger movable along the rotating member and driven so as to force the pellets contained within the chamber towards the screw pump as it moves along the rotating member, so as to pack them within the chamber towards the screw pump;
• wherein the replaceable unit of each cartridge, including at least the chamber, the screw pump, and the rotating member, is insertable into the housing and such that the rotating member of each cartridge physically connects to the electromechanical actuator when the replaceable unit of each cartridge, including at least the chamber, the screw pump, and the rotating member, is inserted into the housing, wherein upon such physical connection a rotary force can be transferred from the actuator to the rotating member during a dispensing operation to transport the pellets from the chamber to be dispensed from the dispenser via the screw pump as aforesaid;
• wherein the plunger is configured to press onto the medicament pellets within the chamber and force the medicament pellets towards the dispensing end of the cartridge to pack the medicament pellets tightly within the chamber as the rotating member rotates during each dispensing operation, and outside of a dispensing operation the valve prevents the medicament pellets that are packed tightly within the chamber from running through and leaking from the screw pump by providing a resistive force to the medicament pellets;
• and
• wherein the actuator is configured such that upon actuation thereof the actuator causes the rotating member to rotate by a predetermined amount, wherein by virtue of the pellets being tightly packed within the chamber as aforesaid the predetermined amount of rotation corresponds to a precise volume of the medicament pellets, and therefore a precise dose, to be dispensed.