Device constituting a powder air-razor

#The present invention relates to a device and an arrangement constituting a powder Air-razor for de-aggregating and into air dispersing finely divided dry medication powder, made available for a release and intended for inhalation through a dry powder inhaler device.

#The dosing of drugs is carried out in a number of different ways in the medical service today. Within health-care, there is a rapidly growing interest in administering locally or systemically acting medication in prescribed doses of powder directly to the airways and lungs of a patient by means of an inhaler in order to obtain an effective, quick and user-friendly administration of such drugs.

#A dry powder inhaler, DPI, represents a device intended for administration of doses of powder into the deep and/or upper lung airways by oral inhalation. However, deep lung deposition of medicament is a more difficult proposition and has only recently come into focus. Most inhalers on the market today are designed for treatment of ailments in the airways or local lung, like asthma, where the objective often is local, not deep lung, deposition. When the objective is a systemic delivery of the medication, then a deep lung deposition of the powder is preferred and usually necessary for maximum efficiency. The deep lung is defined as the peripheral lung and alveoli, where direct transport of a substance to the blood can take place. If a particle is to reach into the deep lung the aerodynamic particle size should typically be less than 3 μm, and for a local lung deposition, typically about 5 μm. Larger particle sizes will easily stick in the mouth and throat. Thus, regardless of whether the objective is a local or systemic delivery of a drug, it is important to keep the particle size distribution of the dose within tight limits to ensure that a high percentage of the dose is actually deposited where it will be most effective.

#The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by referring to the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1a illustrates an embodiment of the powder Air-razor device in a start position;

#FIG. 1b illustrates an embodiment of the powder Air-razor device in a powder releasing phase;

#The present invention discloses a powder Air-razor device for de-aggregating and dispersing into air a dry medication powder. The invention teaches that finely divided dry medication powder may be delivered to a user with an extremely high degree of de-aggregation of the powder. The invention presents a powder Air-razor device and an arrangement to achieve the stated objective.

#An important element of the Air-razor device is a relative motion between a nozzle and a powder. In the document the term “relative motion” refers to the non-airborne powder in more or less aggregated form being gradually moved, relatively speaking, by the motion into close proximity to said nozzle, where de-aggregation and dispersal into air of individual powder particles may take place, provided by the Air-razor. The term does not refer to airborne powder particles already entrained in air. Therefore, the mentioning of “motion” or “moving” in relation to “powder” refers to the contour of powder before the powder particles are released and dispersed into air.

#The medication powder comprises one or more pharmacologically active substances and optionally one or more excipients. In the document the terms “powder” or “medication powder” are used to signify the substance in the form of dry powder, which is the subject of de-aggregation and dispersal into air by the disclosed invention and intended for deposition at a selected target area of a user's airways. Optional excipients may or may not de-aggregate in a similar way as the active pharmacological substance, depending on the design of the powder. For example, an ordered mixture comprises an excipient characterized by particles considerably larger than those of the pharmacologically active substance.