Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Means for mixing treating agent with respiratory gas
Patent
1996-08-29
1998-06-23
Millin, V.
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Means for mixing treating agent with respiratory gas
12820021, 12820022, 12820023, 12820024, 12820312, 12820321, A61M 1100, A61M 1500, A61M 1600
Patent
active
057690731
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns devices for administering single doses of particulate material, particularly a medicament in granular or in finely divided powder form and particularly for inhalation to relieve respiratory difficulties. The invention is also concerned with the packaging of single doses of a medicament particularly in powdered form for self administration as by inhalation.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
It is known to provide a pharmacologically active compound in finely divided particulate form for self administration by inhalation to relieve respiratory problems particularly asthma. One approach for dispensing such material has been to provide a reservoir of finely divided particulate material and to dispense the powdered material in equal predetermined volumes, each predetermined volume corresponding to the dose required by a patient to relieve the asthmatic symptoms during an asthma attack. A device for dispensing such powdered material is described in published UK Patent Specification No. 2144997A.
Pharmacologically active compounds suitable for the treatment of asthma tend to be hygroscopic and this can cause particle agglomeration in a reservoir such as described in UK 2144997.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for dispensing single doses of a particulate material, the device comprising a housing carrying a mouthpiece which communicates with an air inlet through an airway within the housing, a cylindrical container contained within the housing, the container having a plurality of compartments, each containing a respective dose of particulate material, operating means for moving the container relative to the airway so as to bring successive compartments into registry with the airway, to enable the doses of medicament to be discharged therefrom.
Preferably part of the airway extends along an axial passage within the container, preferably along at least part of the elongate axis of the container.
Preferably, the compartments are angularly and axially spaced relative to each other so as to define a helical path which is substantially coaxial with the axis of the container.
Preferably, the container comprises a tubular body having a plurality of radial bores, each of which constitutes a respective compartment.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for dispensing single doses of a powdered medicament comprising a housing carrying a mouthpiece and having an air inlet, inner and outer relatively rotatable coaxial tubes within the housing, a helically extending platform between the tubes defining a helically extending space, said space being partitioned to define pockets lying on a helical path and each containing a discrete dose of powdered medicament, apertures for passage of air in the walls of the inner and outer tubes, and operating means for relatively rotating the inner and outer tubes, the arrangement being such that said relative rotation brings successive dose-containing pockets into registry with the air apertures in the tubes in the path of an airway extending from the air inlet to the mouthpiece.
Thus, when the user requires medication, it is only necessary to actuate the operating means and then suck on the mouthpiece in order to draw a prescribed dose of medicament into the mouth. The rush of air generated by the sucking action ensures that the pocket is cleaned of medicament, which becomes dispersed in the air drawn into the mouth. The helical arrangement of pockets enables a large number of doses of medicament to be contained in a relatively compact device.
Each dose of powdered medicament may be sufficiently tightly packed in its respective pocket to be self supporting, therein.
Alternatively, the powdered doses may be relatively loosely packed in the corresponding pockets in which case the device preferably includes sealing means for retaining the doses of material in the corresponding pockets.
The sealing means could comprise one or more membranes (o
REFERENCES:
patent: 5337740 (1994-08-01), Armstrong et al.
patent: 5388572 (1995-02-01), Mulhauser et al.
patent: 5492112 (1996-02-01), Meikalski et al.
Catterall Clive Patrick
Clarke Roger William
Eason Stephen William
Wilson Donna Joy
Merck Patent Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
Millin V.
Nguyen Dinh X.
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