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US 8,037,880 B2Granted
Dry powder inhaler
AssigneeThe University of Western Ontario
InventorsJingxu Zhu, Jianzhang Wen, Yingliang Ma, Hui Zhang
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AssigneeThe University of Western Ontario
InventorsJingxu Zhu, Jianzhang Wen, Yingliang Ma, Hui Zhang
Estimating the term…
A new dry powder inhaler is developed as a pulmonary medicine delivery device for dispersing precise tiny dosages (10 μg-50 mg) of pure carrier-free ultra-fine powdered medicament (<5 μm aerodynamics particle size) into a patient's lung. The powder is drawn from the blister cell and dispersed through an outlet tube assisted by two air streams. The first air stream goes through a the blister cell from its upstream side, to significantly fluidize the medicament in the dose to flow upward. The second one extracts the fluidized powder from downstream of the blister cell for further deagglomeration and dispersion of the medicament powder by shear force. The rotating multi-dose blister can hold up to 60 doses, which are pre-metered with pure ultra-fine powdered medicament. So that it has higher drug loading capability in small volumes, compared to most current dry powder inhalers, which usually use some excipient. The inhaler efficiently disperse the aerosolized medicament in the air stream to the deep interior of patient's lung. The fine particle fraction (<4.7 μm) is reported to reach as high as 80% using this inhaler.
A dry powder inhaler for dispensing powder medicament, comprising:
A method of dispensing a powder medicament contained in a plurality of powder pockets in a blister pack mounted in an inhaler, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of pulmonary drug delivery of a powder medicament into a user's respiratory system, comprising the steps of:
A dry powder inhaler for dispensing powder medicament, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
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The present invention relates to a method and device delivering fine dry powders, and more particularly the present invention relates to a method and device for pulmonary drug delivery.
Pulmonary drug delivery represents a new drug administration method that provides many advantages. It provides direct and fast topical treatments for respiratory and lung diseases. It avoids the first-pass GI (gastrointestinal) metabolism and can provide targeted delivery to heart and brain. Large molecules such as peptides and proteins can be systemically delivered using the pulmonary channel. Pulmonary drug delivery also allows the use of drugs with low solubility. Most peptide and protein drugs are far more stable in the solid rather than liquid state. Antibiotics and even vaccines can be delivered in this manner. Compared to oral in-take, it provides a fast and much more efficient adsorption. Typically, only a few percent of the medication of the oral in-take is required for pulmonary delivery due to that many drugs degrade in the digestive tract before they are absorbed. Compared to intravenous injection, it provides a painless and safer alternative.
Numerous methods can be employed to generate drug aerosols in therapeutically useful size ranges and concentrations [A. J. Hickey, Inhalation Aerosols: Physical and Biological Basis for Therapy, New York, 1996]. Specifically, these are metered-dose inhalers (MDIs), dry powder inhalers (DPIs), and nebulizers, that can achieve minimally acceptable characteristics in simple, convenient, inexpensive, and portable format.
The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1a is a side view of an embodiment of a blister pack constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 1b is a top view of the embodiment of the blister pack shown in FIG. 1a;
In the following description, like numerals in the different embodiments refer to the same or very similar parts. FIGS. 1a and 1b show an embodiment of a blister pack 10 that is used to hold multi-doses of a powdered medicament. The blister pack 10 contains a (holding) plate 12 with multiple powder pockets 14 extending through the plate in which the medicament is contained. The powder pockets 14 formed in the holding plate 12 which contain the powder medicament are also referred to as blisters or blister cells. Powdered medicament is pre-charged into the blisters or blister cells 14 which is then put into an inhaler to be discussed hereinafter. By introducing a gas flow through the blisters 14, the charged powder medicament will be blown out, to form a powder flow for the pulmonary drug delivery, as will be described in detail hereinafter.
The blister cells 14 in the holding plate 12 are normally identical in size and have a fixed or pre-selected volume to store a pre-selected amount of powder therein. By changing the holding plates 12 with different pocket diameters and plate thickness, blister packs 10 of different volumes can be obtained. Any number of powder pockets 14 can be arranged in any fashion in the plate 12, but for easy use in the inhalers it is beneficial that powder pockets 14 are arranged along certain circles on the disk. In the illustrated blister pack of FIG. 1, the holding plate 12 is circular and the powder pockets 14 are arranged on the circumference of a circle. However, more powder pockets 14 may be arranged on multiple circles on the plate 12.
FIGS. 17a and 17b shows an embodiment of an alternative blister pack 610 that has a double circle arrangement of pockets. The blister pack 610 contains a holding plate 612 with an inner circle of multiple pockets 614 and an outer circle of pockets 624 arranged in two concentric circles. As before, the powder pockets 614 and 624 in the two circles formed in the holding plate 612 which contain the powder medicament are also referred to as blisters or blister cells. Powdered medicament is pre-charged into the blisters or blister cells 614 and 624 after which the blister pack 610 is inserted into an inhaler. By introducing a gas flow through each of the blisters 614 and 624, the charged powder medicament will be blown out, to form a powder flow for the pulmonary drug delivery, as will be described in detail hereinafter. The blister cells 614 and 624 in the holding plate 612 are normally identical in size and have a fixed or pre-selected volume to store a pre-selected amount of powder therein. By changing the holding plates 612 with different pocket diameters and plate thickness, blister packs 610 of different volumes can be obtained. Any number of powder blisters 614 and 624 can be arranged in any fashion in the plate 612, but for easy use in the inhalers it is beneficial that powder blisters 614 and 624 are preferably arranged in two concentric circles on the plate 612. In the illustrated blister pack of FIG. 17, the holding plate 612 is circular and the blisters 614 and 624 are arranged on the circumferences of two concentric circles.
Using prepacked dosages, one for each application, e.g. capsules to be perforated or broken-up: using multiple prepacked dosages on a same…
Details of inhalators; Constructional features thereof: with air flow regulating means
Details of inhalators; Constructional features thereof: mouthpieces therefor
Piercing means: hollow piercing means
About 2 years of term left · ends 29 Oct 2028 (estimated)