Process for Delivery of Viscous Drug Therapies
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsEric Scribben, Steven M. Risser, Amy M. Heintz, Jeffrey L. Ellis, John D. Clay, Timothy M. Blum
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Abstract
Core annular flow is used to enable the subcutaneous delivery of a viscous fluid such as a protein therapeutic formulation. The high-viscosity fluid is surrounded by a low-viscosity fluid, and the low-viscosity fluid lubricates the passage of the high-viscosity fluid. This allows the use of protein formulations that have a higher concentration and a higher viscosity at comparatively reduced injection forces and reduced injection times. Several different embodiments of injection devices that provide core annular flow are described herein.
Claims7
1-12. (canceled)
An injection device for delivering a high-viscosity fluid to a patient, comprising:
- a barrel having an interior space formed from a sidewall, an open end, and a closed plunger end, the open end having an orifice;
- the barrel having a radial wall that separates the interior space of the barrel into an upper compartment and a lower compartment, wherein the floor includes an aperture aligned with the orifice, the aperture being sealed with a sealing means;
- wherein the upper compartment contains the high-viscosity fluid and the lower compartment contains a low-viscosity fluid;
- and
- a plunger movably operable within the barrel;
- wherein depressing the plunger produces a pressure which pushes the high-viscosity fluid through the aperture and produces an annulus of the low-viscosity fluid around a core of the high-viscosity fluid as the fluids are dispensed from the orifice.
15-45. (canceled)
An injection device for delivering a high-viscosity fluid to a patient, comprising:
- a barrel containing the high-viscosity fluid;
- a needle attached to an orifice in the barrel;
- and a
- plunger operating within the barrel;
- wherein an interior surface of the needle is coated with a low-viscosity fluid such that the high-viscosity fluid does not contact the needle when the plunger is depressed.
The injection device of claim 51, wherein the low-viscosity fluid is a phase change material.
48-61. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.