Oral drug delivery device with expanding arms
AssigneeEli Lilly and Company
InventorsMaria Fernandez-Martos Balson, Matthew Keith Fordham, Jack Alexander Hornsby, Nikolaos Sotirios Vasilakis, Sarah Louise Clark
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a drug delivery device. The drug delivery device is taken orally by a patient, and then activates within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of the patient. Upon activation, resilient arms within the drug delivery device expand and engage the GI tract walls. A driver then drives a plunger within the drug delivery device, pushing a drug through a channel in the resilient arms and through the GI tract walls of the patient. After a period of time, at least a portion of the drug delivery device dissolves and the drug delivery device passes through the GI tract.
Claims38
A drug delivery device comprising:
- a capsule configured to degrade within a gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a patient;
- a drug delivery mechanism within the capsule and configured to interact with a GI tract wall of the patient, the drug delivery mechanism comprising a plurality of resilient arms, a plurality of wall interfacing ends, and a plurality of drug delivery channels, wherein the plurality of wall interfacing ends are fluidly coupled to the plurality of drug delivery channels;
- a drug housing fluidly coupled to the drug delivery mechanism and configured to contain a volume of a drug;
- and
- a driving mechanism configured to fit at least partially within the drug housing, the driving mechanism comprising a stopper positioned with-in the drug housing, a trigger, and a driver configured to apply a force to move the stopper in response to an activation by the trigger, wherein the driving mechanism actuates delivery of the drug through the drug delivery mechanism.
A drug delivery device comprising:
- a degradable capsule;
- a drug delivery mechanism located within the degradable capsule comprising a fluid channel and a plurality of drug delivery members;
- a drug housing fluidly coupled to the fluid channel configured to hold a volume of a drug;
- and
- a driving mechanism coupled to and located at least partially within the drug housing, the driving mechanism comprising:
- a drug housing cap configured to fluidly seal the drug housing;
- a driving rod slidable within the drug housing;
- a driving stopper coupled to the driving rod configured to interface with the drug;
- a driver within the drug housing cap and coupled to the driving rod;
- and
- a dissolvable trigger configured retain the driving rod in a first position,
- wherein the driver pushes the driving rod from the first position to a second position when the dissolvable trigger degrades, the drug being released through the drug delivery mechanism when the driving rod moves from the first position to the second position.
An oral drug delivery device comprising:
- a housing capsule;
- a drug delivery mechanism within the housing capsule comprising:
- at least one drug delivery member configured to interact with a wall of a gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a patient;
- and
- a fluid channel within the at least one drug delivery member configured to allow a drug to flow through the drug delivery member, wherein a fluid resistance within the fluid channel is greater than an interstitial resistance from an interaction with the wall of the gastrointestinal tract;
- a drug housing coupled to the drug delivery mechanism;
- and
- a driving mechanism configured to drive a drug from the drug housing to the drug delivery mechanism.
An oral drug delivery device comprising:
- a biodegradable capsule;
- a plurality of arms;
- and
- a liquid drug;
- wherein the oral drug delivery device has:
- a closed configuration in which the plurality of arms is disposed within the capsule;
- an open configuration in which the plurality of arms extend radially outward upon degradation of the capsule to contact a patient;
- a delivered configuration in which the liquid drug is injected through the plurality of arms and into the patient;
- and
- a released configuration in which the plurality of arms is separated from the patient to pass through the patient.
A method for delivering a drug to a patient through a drug delivery device comprising:
- administering the drug delivery device orally to the patient;
- degrading a capsule within a small intestine of the patient;
- expanding a delivery mechanism having a plurality of ends to interface with the small intestine of the patient after the degrading step;
- engaging a wall of the small intestine of the patient with a penetration assembly disposed on an end of the delivery mechanism;
- degrading a trigger of the drug delivery device;
- delivering the drug to the patient through the delivery mechanism;
- and
- degrading the delivery mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.