Drug delivery device

An automatic injection device containing a pre-loaded charge of medicament for automatically self-administering the medicament upon actuation thereof, the device comprising:

• a housing assembly having an interior chamber, the interior chamber including a dry compartment containing a dry medicament component, and a wet compartment containing a liquid component to be mixed with the dry component;
• a seal structure between the dry compartment and the wet compartment, the seal structure being initially in a sealing condition that maintains the dry component sealed from the wet component, the seal structure being converted to a mixing condition as a result of activation of the device;
• the seal structure having a periphery that forms a peripheral seal slidably disposed with respect to an adjacent surface of the interior chamber, the seal structure having an inner seal member spaced radially inward from the peripheral seal that seals at least one flow path formed in the seal structure prior to activation of the device, the inner seal member being convertible from a sealing condition to a mixing condition to enable fluid to flow through the at least one flow path in the seal structure from the wet compartment to the dry compartment;
• a needle assembly that dispenses the charge of medicament from the housing;
• an activation assembly carried by the housing and including a stored energy source, wherein activation of the activation assembly releases the stored energy from the stored energy source, and wherein the release of the stored energy causes a) the seal structure to be converted from the sealing condition to the mixing condition and thereby permit the liquid component to pass through the at least one flow path, b) force the mixed liquid and dry components through the needle assembly.

A method of administering a pre-loaded charge of medicament, comprising:

• providing an automatic injection device having a housing assembly, wherein the housing assembly includes an interior chamber having a dry compartment containing a dry medicament component, and a wet compartment containing a liquid component to be mixed with the dry component, the injection device further includes a seal structure between the dry compartment and the wet compartment, the seal structure being initially in a sealing condition that maintains the dry component sealed from the wet component, the seal structure being converted to a mixing condition as a result of activation of the device, a fluid distributing member disposed between the liquid component and the dry medicament component, a needle assembly that dispenses the charge of medicament from the housing, and an actuating assembly having stored energy source;
• locating the automatic injection device at a desired location on a recipient;
• and
• actuating the activation assembly carried by the housing to release the stored energy from the stored energy source such that the release of the stored energy causes a) the seal structure to be converted from the sealing condition to the mixing condition and thereby permit the liquid component to pass there through, b) the liquid component to be forced through the fluid distributing member and distributed to the dry component and facilitate mixing and dissolution of the dry medicament component in the liquid component, and c) force the mixed liquid and dry components through the needle assembly.