Nasal delivery devices

A nasal delivery device for delivering a substance to a nasal airway of a subject, comprising:

• a housing;
• a mouthpiece through which the subject in use exhales to cause closure of the oropharyngeal velum of the subject;
• a nosepiece for fitting to a nostril of the subject, wherein the nosepiece includes a nozzle through which the substance is in use delivered as an aerosol spray into the nasal airway of the subject;
• a manually-actuatable substance supply unit for delivering the substance through the nozzle, wherein the substance supply unit comprises a substance-containing chamber which contains the substance and extends from an aperture in the housing as an actuating part of the substance supply unit, and a mechanical delivery pump which is actuatable by depression of the substance-containing chamber to deliver the substance from the nozzle;
• and
• a valve assembly which is fluidly connected to the mouthpiece and the nosepiece and operable between a closed configuration substantially blocking a fluid communication path between the mouthpiece and the nosepiece and an open configuration permitting a flow of fluid through the fluid communication path between the mouthpiece and the nosepiece, wherein the substance-containing chamber is coupled to the valve assembly and configured to provide for simultaneous actuation of the mechanical delivery pump and opening of the valve assembly to deliver an air flow through the fluid communication path simultaneously with delivery of the substance through the nosepiece and to the nasal airway of the subject, wherein the air flow includes a higher pressure or volume when the valve assembly is initially opened compared to a steady state pressure or volume of the air flow after the valve assembly is opened for a predetermined time.

A method of delivering a substance to a nasal airway of a subject, comprising:

• providing a delivery device which comprises:
• a housing;
• a mouthpiece through which the subject exhales;
• a nosepiece for fitting to a nostril of the subject, wherein the nosepiece includes a nozzle through which the substance is delivered as an aerosol spray into the nasal airway of the subject;
• a manually-actuatable substance supply unit for delivering the substance through the nozzle, wherein the substance supply unit comprises a substance-containing chamber which contains the substance and extends from an aperture in the housing as an actuating part of the substance supply unit, and a mechanical delivery pump which is actuatable by depression of the substance-containing chamber to deliver the substance from the nozzle;
• and a valve assembly which is fluidly connected to the mouthpiece and the nosepiece and operable between a closed configuration substantially blocking a fluid communication path between the mouthpiece and the nosepiece and an open configuration permitting a flow of fluid through the fluid communication path between the mouthpiece and the nosepiece, wherein the substance-containing chamber is coupled to the valve assembly and configured to provide for simultaneous actuation of the mechanical delivery pump and opening of the valve assembly to deliver an air flow through the fluid communication path simultaneously with delivery of the substance through the nosepiece and to the nasal airway of the subject;
• fitting the nosepiece to a nostril of the subject;
• the subject exhaling through the mouthpiece to close the oropharyngeal velum of the subject;
• and
• manually actuating the substance supply unit by depressing the substance-containing chamber to provide simultaneously for delivery of the substance from the nozzle and opening of the valve assembly to provide an air flow, as a burst of air, to the nasal airway of the subject.