Dispensing – Fluid flow discharge – From movable trap chamber
Patent
1998-07-22
2000-05-02
Huson, Gregory L.
Dispensing
Fluid flow discharge
From movable trap chamber
604 58, A01C 1504
Patent
active
060561696
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to inhaler apparatus, and more particularly to an active dry powder inhaler (DPI) that is also an active breath-actuated inhaler (BAI), i.e. that is triggered by the user inhaling.
The term "active DPI" is used to mean a powder dispenser in which the dose of powder is dispensed by means of a flow of air propelled independently from the user inhaling. Such devices are mainly used for dispensing powders, in particular medicines, that are intended to be dispensed to the user in an accurately-measured manner, at a moment that is accurately determined, and also to a location that is accurately determined, specifically the lungs. This applies in particular to certain medicines for suffers of asthma where it is desirable for as reproducible as possible a quantity of powder to reach as deeply as possible into the lungs of the patient. For this purpose, it is essential that the dose of powder expelled by the inhaler is determined accurately and reproducibly, for the doses of powder always to be expelled under the same conditions, and for said expulsions to be coordinated with the patient inhaling (active BAI).
Such an inhaler is described in particular in document WO 93/18812. That document discloses an inhaler having a powder reservoir and measuring means that make it possible on each actuation of the inhaler to fill a measuring chamber with a dose of powder, the inhaler also including a source of compressed air that is triggerable by inhaling and that establishes a flow of compressed air that expels the dose of powder situated in the measuring chamber.
Depending on the type of powder or medicine used, and depending on the use for which the inhaler is intended, the inhaler disclosed in document WO 93/18812 can suffer from various drawbacks. Thus, packaging all of the powder in a single reservoir means that in the event of a portion of said powder becoming contaminated and/or moist, then all of the powder is in danger of becoming contaminated and/or moist. Also, for powders including fragile molecules, e.g. molecules made up of long chains, there is a danger of the molecules being broken during the dosing operation, and that can spoil the effectiveness of the powder. In addition, the reservoir may include certain amounts of dead space, and the powder contained in the dead space can fail to be transferred into the measuring chamber by the dosing means, and that constitutes a drawback when the powder in question is very expensive. In addition, dose reproducibility is not good.
Document WO 93/16748 discloses an inhaler including a device for transferring doses of powder from a common reservoir. That device improves dose reproducibility, but continues to suffer from the other above-mentioned drawbacks.
Document WO 94/08552 discloses an inhaler having a pre-dosing device in the form of individual powder reservoirs, the inhaler further including an electric motor that is triggered by the user inhaling, said electric motor propelling a flow of air for expelling a dose when the patient inhales. That inhaler suffers from a major drawback in that it includes electrical means for dispensing the dose, thereby considerably increasing its cost, making it difficult to manufacture, and making it dependent on a supply of electricity to operate.
An object of the present invention is to provide an inhaler that avoids the above-mentioned drawbacks and that operates in optimum manner. To operate in optimum manner, such an inhaler must simultaneously satisfy each of the following conditions in optimal manner:
all of the powder contained in the inhaler must be protected from any external contamination and/or moistening;
all of the powder contained in the inhaler must be dispensed in doses that are very accurately reproducible;
each dose must be expelled in a manner that is coordinated with the patient inhaling; and
each dose of powder must penetrate in finely divided form deep into the lungs of the user.
The present invention also seeks to provide an inhaler capable of dispensing all of the powder contained
REFERENCES:
patent: 5366122 (1994-11-01), Guentert et al.
patent: 5383850 (1995-01-01), Schwab et al.
patent: 5568884 (1996-10-01), Bruna
Bruna Pascal
Fourment Olivier
Stradella Guiseppe
Huson Gregory L.
Valois S.A.
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