ABSTRACT
Abstract
A medicament delivery device for delivering a liquid medicament, the medicament delivery device comprising: a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container, the deformable medicament container arranged to contain the liquid medicament; a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve; wherein the gas valve is releasable to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/478,091, filed on Jul. 15, 2019, which is the national stage entry of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2018/051375, filed on Jan. 22, 2018, and claims priority to Application No. EP 17152921.7, filed on Jan. 24, 2017, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a device for delivery of medicament to a patient.
BACKGROUND
A variety of diseases exist that require regular treatment by injection of a medicament and such injections can be performed by using injection devices. Various injection devices for delivering injections of medicament are known in the art. Another type of injection pump that is gaining traction is the bolus injector device. Some bolus injector devices are intended to be used with relatively large volumes of medicament, typically at least 1 ml and maybe a few ml. Injection of such large volumes of medicament can take some minutes or even hours. Such high capacity bolus injector devices can be called large volume devices (LVDs). Generally such devices are operated by the patients themselves, although they may also be operated by medical personnel.
To use an injector device, such as an LVD, it is first supported on a suitable injection site on a patient's skin. Once installed, injection is initiated by the patient or another person (user). Typically, the initiation is effected by the user operating an electrical switch, which causes a controller to operate the device. Operation includes firstly injecting a needle into the user and then causing the injection of medicament into the user's tissue. Biological medicaments are being increasingly developed which comprise higher viscosity injectable liquids and which are to be administered in larger volumes than long-known liquid medicaments. LVDs for administering such biological medicaments may comprise a pre-filled disposable drug delivery device or, alternatively, a disposable drug delivery device into which a patient or medical personnel must insert a drug cartridge prior to use.
Some medicament delivery devices use bungs and plungers for advancing the liquid medicament during an injection process, but these bungs and plungers may introduce inefficiency during injection due to friction. Furthermore, in these injection arrangements with bungs and plungers, there may be dead volume within medicament containers or syringes due to manufacturing tolerances, which may lead to residual drug even with after fully advancing the bung.
In some patient-operated LVDs, the drug delivery process from start to finish may be a lengthy process and sometimes it is difficult for the patient to determine whether the injection process is complete. Some medicament delivery devices are provided with on-board equipment including light sources and indicator systems for indicating the amount of medicament currently contained within the device. In some of these devices with on-board equipment, batteries are provided so as to power the on-board equipment. However, these devices are often stored for a relatively long time before being used for delivering medicament. A problem is that, during this time of storage, battery corrosion and leakage may occur.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a medicament delivery device for delivering a liquid medicament comprising: a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container, the deformable medicament container arranged to contain the liquid medicament: a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve: wherein the gas valve is releasable to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
The medicament delivery device may further comprising an overflow reservoir connected to the rigid casing via a safety valve, wherein the safety valve is configured to allow gas flow into the overflow reservoir when gas pressure in the rigid casing exceed a predetermined threshold.
The medicament delivery device may further comprise a flow detection mechanism in the overflow reservoir.
The flow detection mechanism may comprise a rotation member arranged in the overflow reservoir, wherein the rotation member is configured to be rotated by gas flow in the overflow reservoir.
The rotation member may comprise a plurality of vanes.
The rotation member may be connected to an indicator system.
The indicator system may comprises: a transparent window at the housing; and an indicator member arranged at the rotation member, such that when the rotation member rotates, an outer end of the indicator member moves along the transparent window.
The rotation member may be connected to an energy generating apparatus.
The energy generating apparatus may comprise a dynamo.
The medicament delivery device may further comprise a light source arranged to be powered by the energy generating apparatus.
The deformable medicament container may be in fluid communication with an outlet, the outlet being connected via a fluid path to a needle injection system.
The medicament delivery device may be a bolus injector.
The deformable medicament container may contain a liquid medicament.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a medical delivery device, the medical delivery device comprising a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container arranged to contain a liquid medicament and a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve, the method comprising: releasing the gas valve to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
The medical delivery device may further comprise an overflow reservoir connected to the rigid casing via a safety valve, and the method may further comprise converting motion of gas flow in the overflow reservoir into torque for rotating a rotation member in the overflow reservoir.
These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in an initial state, according to a first embodiment:
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in a final state, according to the first embodiment:
FIG. 3 A is a schematic view of part of the medicament delivery device in a first state, according to a second embodiment:
FIG. 3 B is a schematic view of part of the medicament delivery device in a second state, according to the second embodiment; and
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device according to a third embodiment.
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A medicament delivery device for delivering a liquid medicament is provided. The medicament delivery device comprises a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container, the deformable medicament container arranged to contain the liquid medicament: a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve; wherein the gas valve is releasable to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
The medicament delivery device as described avoids the friction associated with bungs and plungers. Furthermore, the dead volume is considerably smaller since the volume inside the deformable medicament container can virtually be reduced to zero whereas in conventional injection arrangements there is usually some residual drug even with after fully advancing the bung due to manufacturing tolerances.
A drug delivery device, as described herein, may be configured to inject a medicament into a patient. For example, delivery could be sub-cutaneous, intra-muscular, or intravenous. Such a device could be operated by a patient or care-giver, such as a nurse or physician, and can include various types of safety syringe, pen-injector, or auto-injector. The device can include a cartridge-based system that requires piercing a sealed ampule before use. Volumes of medicament delivered with these various devices can range from about 0.5 ml to about 2 ml. Yet another device can include a large volume device (âLVDâ) or patch pump, configured to adhere to a patient's skin for a period of time (e.g., about 5, 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes) to deliver a âlargeâ volume of medicament (typically about 2 ml to about 10 ml).
In combination with a specific medicament, the presently described devices may also be customized in order to operate within required specifications. For example, the device may be customized to inject a medicament within a certain time period (e.g., about 3 to about 20 seconds for auto-injectors, and about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes for an LVD). Other specifications can include a low or minimal level of discomfort, or to certain conditions related to human factors, shelf-life, expiry, biocompatibility, environmental considerations, etc. Such variations can arise due to various factors, such as, for example, a drug ranging in viscosity from about 3 cP to about 50 cP. Consequently, a drug delivery device will often include a hollow needle ranging from about 25 to about 31 Gauge in size. Common sizes are 27 and 29 Gauge.
The delivery devices described herein can also include one or more automated functions. For example, one or more of needle insertion, medicament injection, and needle retraction can be automated. Energy for one or more automation steps can be provided by one or more energy sources. Energy sources can include, for example, mechanical, pneumatic, chemical, or electrical energy. For example, mechanical energy sources can include springs, levers, elastomers, or other mechanical mechanisms to store or release energy. One or more energy sources can be combined into a single device. Devices can further include gears, valves, or other mechanisms to convert energy into movement of one or more components of a device.
Some delivery devices can include one or more functions of a safety syringe, pen-injector, or auto-injector. For example, a delivery device could include a mechanical energy source configured to automatically inject a medicament (as typically found in an auto-injector) and a dose setting mechanism (as typically found in a pen-injector).
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in an initial state, according to a first embodiment. The device is described below in the context of a Large Volume Device (LVD), but it will be appreciated that it could alternatively be another type of bolus injector.
A medicament delivery device 10 according to a first embodiment of the disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 . The medicament delivery device 10 can either be a stationary or a portable device. The medicament delivery device 10 comprises a housing 11 containing a rigid casing 12 connected to a pressurized gas cartridge 14 via a gas valve 15 . The rigid casing 12 may be made of metal or hard plastic, and it will be appreciated that the rigid casing may be made of other materials that provide the required rigidity of the rigid casing 12 .
The pressurized gas cartridge 14 in this embodiment has a volume of 5 ml and contains nitrogen gas pressurized at 1,000 Pa. The gas valve 15 in the present embodiment is controlled by an actuator (not shown in FIG. 1 ). When the actuator is actuated, the gas valve</f
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/478,091, filed on Jul. 15, 2019, which is the national stage entry of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2018/051375, filed on Jan. 22, 2018, and claims priority to Application No. EP 17152921.7, filed on Jan. 24, 2017, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a device for delivery of medicament to a patient.
BACKGROUND
A variety of diseases exist that require regular treatment by injection of a medicament and such injections can be performed by using injection devices. Various injection devices for delivering injections of medicament are known in the art. Another type of injection pump that is gaining traction is the bolus injector device. Some bolus injector devices are intended to be used with relatively large volumes of medicament, typically at least 1 ml and maybe a few ml. Injection of such large volumes of medicament can take some minutes or even hours. Such high capacity bolus injector devices can be called large volume devices (LVDs). Generally such devices are operated by the patients themselves, although they may also be operated by medical personnel.
To use an injector device, such as an LVD, it is first supported on a suitable injection site on a patient's skin. Once installed, injection is initiated by the patient or another person (user). Typically, the initiation is effected by the user operating an electrical switch, which causes a controller to operate the device. Operation includes firstly injecting a needle into the user and then causing the injection of medicament into the user's tissue. Biological medicaments are being increasingly developed which comprise higher viscosity injectable liquids and which are to be administered in larger volumes than long-known liquid medicaments. LVDs for administering such biological medicaments may comprise a pre-filled disposable drug delivery device or, alternatively, a disposable drug delivery device into which a patient or medical personnel must insert a drug cartridge prior to use.
Some medicament delivery devices use bungs and plungers for advancing the liquid medicament during an injection process, but these bungs and plungers may introduce inefficiency during injection due to friction. Furthermore, in these injection arrangements with bungs and plungers, there may be dead volume within medicament containers or syringes due to manufacturing tolerances, which may lead to residual drug even with after fully advancing the bung.
In some patient-operated LVDs, the drug delivery process from start to finish may be a lengthy process and sometimes it is difficult for the patient to determine whether the injection process is complete. Some medicament delivery devices are provided with on-board equipment including light sources and indicator systems for indicating the amount of medicament currently contained within the device. In some of these devices with on-board equipment, batteries are provided so as to power the on-board equipment. However, these devices are often stored for a relatively long time before being used for delivering medicament. A problem is that, during this time of storage, battery corrosion and leakage may occur.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a medicament delivery device for delivering a liquid medicament comprising: a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container, the deformable medicament container arranged to contain the liquid medicament: a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve: wherein the gas valve is releasable to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
The medicament delivery device may further comprising an overflow reservoir connected to the rigid casing via a safety valve, wherein the safety valve is configured to allow gas flow into the overflow reservoir when gas pressure in the rigid casing exceed a predetermined threshold.
The medicament delivery device may further comprise a flow detection mechanism in the overflow reservoir.
The flow detection mechanism may comprise a rotation member arranged in the overflow reservoir, wherein the rotation member is configured to be rotated by gas flow in the overflow reservoir.
The rotation member may comprise a plurality of vanes.
The rotation member may be connected to an indicator system.
The indicator system may comprises: a transparent window at the housing; and an indicator member arranged at the rotation member, such that when the rotation member rotates, an outer end of the indicator member moves along the transparent window.
The rotation member may be connected to an energy generating apparatus.
The energy generating apparatus may comprise a dynamo.
The medicament delivery device may further comprise a light source arranged to be powered by the energy generating apparatus.
The deformable medicament container may be in fluid communication with an outlet, the outlet being connected via a fluid path to a needle injection system.
The medicament delivery device may be a bolus injector.
The deformable medicament container may contain a liquid medicament.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a medical delivery device, the medical delivery device comprising a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container arranged to contain a liquid medicament and a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve, the method comprising: releasing the gas valve to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
The medical delivery device may further comprise an overflow reservoir connected to the rigid casing via a safety valve, and the method may further comprise converting motion of gas flow in the overflow reservoir into torque for rotating a rotation member in the overflow reservoir.
These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in an initial state, according to a first embodiment:
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in a final state, according to the first embodiment:
FIG. 3 A is a schematic view of part of the medicament delivery device in a first state, according to a second embodiment:
FIG. 3 B is a schematic view of part of the medicament delivery device in a second state, according to the second embodiment; and
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device according to a third embodiment.
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A medicament delivery device for delivering a liquid medicament is provided. The medicament delivery device comprises a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container, the deformable medicament container arranged to contain the liquid medicament: a pressurized gas cartridge connected to the rigid casing via a gas valve; wherein the gas valve is releasable to allow gas flow into the rigid casing to cause an increase in gas pressure in the rigid casing so as to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament.
The medicament delivery device as described avoids the friction associated with bungs and plungers. Furthermore, the dead volume is considerably smaller since the volume inside the deformable medicament container can virtually be reduced to zero whereas in conventional injection arrangements there is usually some residual drug even with after fully advancing the bung due to manufacturing tolerances.
A drug delivery device, as described herein, may be configured to inject a medicament into a patient. For example, delivery could be sub-cutaneous, intra-muscular, or intravenous. Such a device could be operated by a patient or care-giver, such as a nurse or physician, and can include various types of safety syringe, pen-injector, or auto-injector. The device can include a cartridge-based system that requires piercing a sealed ampule before use. Volumes of medicament delivered with these various devices can range from about 0.5 ml to about 2 ml. Yet another device can include a large volume device (âLVDâ) or patch pump, configured to adhere to a patient's skin for a period of time (e.g., about 5, 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes) to deliver a âlargeâ volume of medicament (typically about 2 ml to about 10 ml).
In combination with a specific medicament, the presently described devices may also be customized in order to operate within required specifications. For example, the device may be customized to inject a medicament within a certain time period (e.g., about 3 to about 20 seconds for auto-injectors, and about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes for an LVD). Other specifications can include a low or minimal level of discomfort, or to certain conditions related to human factors, shelf-life, expiry, biocompatibility, environmental considerations, etc. Such variations can arise due to various factors, such as, for example, a drug ranging in viscosity from about 3 cP to about 50 cP. Consequently, a drug delivery device will often include a hollow needle ranging from about 25 to about 31 Gauge in size. Common sizes are 27 and 29 Gauge.
The delivery devices described herein can also include one or more automated functions. For example, one or more of needle insertion, medicament injection, and needle retraction can be automated. Energy for one or more automation steps can be provided by one or more energy sources. Energy sources can include, for example, mechanical, pneumatic, chemical, or electrical energy. For example, mechanical energy sources can include springs, levers, elastomers, or other mechanical mechanisms to store or release energy. One or more energy sources can be combined into a single device. Devices can further include gears, valves, or other mechanisms to convert energy into movement of one or more components of a device.
Some delivery devices can include one or more functions of a safety syringe, pen-injector, or auto-injector. For example, a delivery device could include a mechanical energy source configured to automatically inject a medicament (as typically found in an auto-injector) and a dose setting mechanism (as typically found in a pen-injector).
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in an initial state, according to a first embodiment. The device is described below in the context of a Large Volume Device (LVD), but it will be appreciated that it could alternatively be another type of bolus injector.
A medicament delivery device 10 according to a first embodiment of the disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 . The medicament delivery device 10 can either be a stationary or a portable device. The medicament delivery device 10 comprises a housing 11 containing a rigid casing 12 connected to a pressurized gas cartridge 14 via a gas valve 15 . The rigid casing 12 may be made of metal or hard plastic, and it will be appreciated that the rigid casing may be made of other materials that provide the required rigidity of the rigid casing 12 .
The pressurized gas cartridge 14 in this embodiment has a volume of 5 ml and contains nitrogen gas pressurized at 1,000 Pa. The gas valve 15 in the present embodiment is controlled by an actuator (not shown in FIG. 1 ). When the actuator is actuated, the gas valve 15 is arranged to release to as to allow gas flow from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 into the rigid casing 12 . In this embodiment, the gas valve 15 is a one-way valve that only allows gas to flow through in one direction, i.e. from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 to the rigid casing 12 .
The rigid casing 12 contains a deformable medicament container 13 which in the initial state is filled with liquid medicament. The deformable medicament container 13 may be made of plastic, e.g. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene. In the present embodiment, the deformable medicament container 13 is attached at a side of the rigid casing 12 opposite the outlet of the medicament container 13 , in order to ensure a precise folding of the deformable medicament container 13 . Specifically, as shown in this embodiment, the rigid casing 12 has an elongate shape and the deformable medicament container 13 is held at a front end in the region of the outlet of the medicament container 13 where it is sealed against the rigid casing 12 and at a back end opposite the outlet of the medicament container 13 . In the initial state, the deformable medicament container 13 with the liquid medicament essentially fills the entire volume of the rigid casing 12 .
The deformable medicament container 13 comprises an outlet through which medicament can be displaced. The outlet of the deformable medicament container 13 is connected to a needle injection system 19 through a fluid path 18 . In other words, an end of the fluid path 18 is connected to the outlet of the medicament container 13 while another end of the fluid path 18 is connected to a needle injection system 19 . The needle injection system 19 includes a hollow injection needle 21 through which medicament can be displaced when the deformable medicament container 13 is compressed.
The rigid casing 12 is fillable by gas for displacing the deformable medicament container 13 and thus the liquid medicament inside. Therefore, when the gas valve 15 releases to allow gas flow into the rigid casing 12 , the increase gas pressure exerts a compressive force on the deformable medicament container 13 so as to displace the liquid medicament contained within through its outlet.
The medicament delivery device 10 further comprises an overflow reservoir 16 . The overflow reservoir 16 is connected to the rigid casing 12 via a safety valve 17 . The safety valve 17 is configured such that when a gas pressure within the rigid casing 12 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the safety valve 17 releases so as to allow gas flow into the overflow reservoir. Hence, safety can be ensured by preventing a scenario in which the gas pressure within the rigid casing reaches dangerously high levels. In this embodiment, the safety valve 17 is a pressure relief valve (PRV) which is set to open at a predetermined set pressure to protect the rigid casing 12 from being subjected to pressures that exceed its design limit.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a medicament delivery device in a final state, according to the first embodiment.
The medicament delivery device 10 as shown in FIG. 2 is in the final state, when the actuator which is arranged to control the gas valve 15 is actuated to allow gas flow from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 in the rigid casing 12 . In the final state, the whole content of the deformable medicament container 13 may be forced out of the outlet by entirely filling the rigid casing 12 with gas and thereby fully compressing the deformable medicament container 13 .
Due to the rigidness of the rigid casing 12 , when gas flows into the rigid casing 12 from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 , the increased gas pressure exerts a compressive force on the deformable medicament container 13 arranged within the rigid casing 12 to compress the deformable medicament container 13 . The liquid medicament contained within the deformable medicament container 13 is displaced through its outlet, through the fluid path, and to the needle injection system 19 to be injected to an injection site.
Once all the content within the deformable medicament container 13 has been displaced, the gas pressure within the rigid casing 12 will continue to increase due to the continued gas flow from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 . When the gas pressure within the rigid casing exceeds the predetermined threshold, the safety valve 17 would release to allow gas flow into the overflow reservoir 16 . This gas flow from the rigid casing 12 causes the gas pressure in the rigid casing 12 to decrease and therefore damage to the rigid casing 12 due to high gas pressure can be prevented.
FIG. 3 A is a schematic view of part of a medicament delivery device in a first state, according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 3 B is a schematic view of part of the medicament delivery device in a second state, according to the second embodiment. Specifically, FIGS. 3 A and 3 B show part of the overflow reservoir 26 of the medicament delivery device respectively before completion of the injection process (i.e. the first state), and after completion of the injection process (i.e. the second state).
The medicament delivery device of the second embodiment is similar to the medicament delivery device 10 of the first embodiment, with the addition of a rotation member 22 arranged in the overflow reservoir 16 , the rotation member 22 being connected to an indicator system comprising an indicator member 23 and a transparent window 24 . The transparent window 24 in this embodiment is positioned at the housing 11 to allow a user to determine an orientation of the indicator member.
In this embodiment, the rotation member 22 is considered as a flow detection mechanism. The rotation member 22 is arranged in the overflow reservoir 16 and is in particular configured to rotate in a single direction (clockwise as shown in FIGS. 3 A and 3 B ) when gas flows into the overflow reservoir 16 from the rigid casing 12 . In other words, motion of gas flow in the overflow reservoir 16 is converted into torque for rotating the rotation member 22 .
In this embodiment, the indicator member 23 of the indicator system is a narrow elongate member arranged at a surface of the rotation member 22 such that it extends from a center of the rotation member 22 outwards. The indicator member 23 is fixedly attached to the rotation member 22 such that as the rotation member 22 rotates, an outer end of the indicator member 23 moves along the transparent window 24 from a first position to a second position. The first position corresponds to the first state in which the injection process is not complete, and the second position corresponds to the second state in which the injection process is complete.
A first end of the transparent window 24 represents when the deformable medicament container 13 is non-empty, and a second end of the transparent window 24 represents when the deformable medicament container 13 is empty. Therefore, when the outer end of the indicator member 23 moves along the transparent window 24 from one end to another, a user is able to determine that the injection process is complete.
When the actuator (not shown in the drawing) is actuated to release the gas valve 15 , the rigid casing 12 is gradually filled with gas and thus the gas pressure within the rigid casing 12 continues to increase. This increasing gas pressure exerts a compressive force on the deformable medicament container 13 so as to displace the liquid medicament contained within through its outlet.
Once all the content within the deformable medicament container 13 has been displaced, the gas pressure within the rigid casing 12 will continue to increase due to the continued gas flow from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 . When the gas pressure within the rigid casing exceeds the predetermined threshold, the safety valve 17 would release to allow gas flow into the overflow reservoir 16 .
The gas flow into the overflow reservoir 16 causes a rotation of the rotation member 22 in a single direction, which in turn causes the outer end of the indicator member 23 to sweep along the transparent window 24 from one end to another. This is illustrated in FIG. 3 A and FIG. 3 B , which respectively show the outer end of the indicator member 23 in the first position ( FIG. 3 A ) and in the second position ( FIG. 3 B ). Hence, when the outer end of the indicator member 23 moves from one end to another along the transparent window 24 , the user is able to determine when the deformable medicament container 13 is empty and when the injection process is complete by checking the orientation of the indicator member 23 .
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of part of a medicament delivery device according to a third embodiment.
The medicament delivery device of the third embodiment is similar to the medicament delivery device the first embodiment, with the addition of a rotation member 22 , a pinion gear (not shown in FIG. 4 ), a worm wheel 25 , a worm screw 26 , an energy generating apparatus 27 , and a light source 28 .
In this embodiment, the rotation member 22 is considered as part of a flow detection mechanism. The rotation member 22 is arranged in the overflow reservoir 16 and is in particular configured to rotate in a single when gas flows into the overflow reservoir 16 from the rigid casing 12 . In other words, motion of gas flow in the overflow reservoir 16 is converted into torque for rotating the rotation member 22 .
As shown in FIG. 4 , in this embodiment the rotation member 22 comprises a plurality of vanes and is fixedly attached to a pinion gear (not shown in FIG. 4 ) configured to mesh with the worm wheel 25 . The worm wheel 25 in this embodiment forms a worm drive arrangement with a worm screw 26 . Specifically, the worm wheel 25 comprises a plurality of teeth which mesh with a threaded arrangement on an outer surface of the worm screw 26 . In this worm drive arrangement, rotary motion is transmitted through a 90° angle. In other words, the rotary motion of the worm wheel 25 in a first axis causes a rotary motion of the worm screw 26 in a second axis, the first axis being perpendicular to the second axis.
The worm screw 26 is mechanically connected to the energy generating apparatus 27 . In this embodiment, the energy generating apparatus 27 comprises a dynamo which is configured to convert mechanical rotation into a direct electric current.
Although not shown in the drawing, the energy generating apparatus 27 is electrically connected to a light source 28 , which in this embodiment is a light bulb. Therefore, as energy generating apparatus 27 converts mechanical rotation of the worm screw 26 , the light source 28 is powered.
When the actuator (not shown in the drawing) is actuated to release the gas valve 15 , the rigid casing 12 is gradually filled with gas and thus the gas pressure within the rigid casing 12 continues to increase. This increasing gas pressure exerts a compressive force on the deformable medicament container 13 so as to displace the liquid medicament contained within through its outlet.
Once all the content within the deformable medicament container 13 has been displaced, the gas pressure within the rigid casing 12 will continue to increase due to the continued gas flow from the pressurized gas cartridge 14 . When the gas pressure within the rigid casing exceeds the predetermined threshold, the safety valve 17 would release to allow gas flow into the overflow reservoir 16 .
The gas flow into the overflow reservoir 16 causes a rotation of the rotation member</
CLAIMS
Claims ( 20 )
1 . A large volume device (LVD) configured to deliver a liquid medicament to a patient, the LVD comprising:
a housing configured to adhere to the patient's skin during a delivery of the liquid medicament to the patient, the housing containing:
a needle injection system configured to insert a needle into the patient;
a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container that is configured to contain the liquid medicament; and
a pressurized gas cartridge fluidly connected to the rigid casing and configured to allow a flow of gas from the pressurized gas cartridge into the rigid casing to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament through the needle.
2 . The LVD of claim 1 , further comprising an overflow reservoir connected to the rigid casing via a safety valve, wherein the safety valve is configured to allow the flow of gas into the overflow reservoir when a pressure of gas in the rigid casing exceeds a predetermined threshold.
3 . The LVD of claim 2 , further comprising a flow detection mechanism in the overflow reservoir.
4 . The LVD of claim 3 , wherein the flow detection mechanism comprises a rotation member arranged in the overflow reservoir, and wherein the rotation member is configured to be rotated by the flow of gas in the overflow reservoir.
5 . The LVD of claim 4 , wherein the rotation member comprises a plurality of vanes.
6 . The LVD of claim 4 , wherein the rotation member is connected to an indicator system.
7 . The LVD of claim 6 , wherein the indicator system comprises:
a transparent window at the housing; and an indicator member arranged at the rotation member, such that when the rotation member rotates, an outer end of the indicator member moves along the transparent window.
8 . The LVD of claim 4 , wherein the rotation member is connected to an energy generating apparatus.
9 . The LVD of claim 8 , wherein the energy generating apparatus comprises a dynamo.
10 . The LVD of claim 8 , further comprising a light source arranged to be powered by the energy generating apparatus.
11 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the deformable medicament container is in fluid communication with an outlet, the outlet being connected via a fluid path to the needle injection system.
12 . The LVD of claim 1 , further comprising a gas valve, wherein the pressurized gas cartridge is fluidly connected to the rigid casing via the gas valve.
13 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the LVD is a bolus injector.
14 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the deformable medicament container contains the liquid medicament.
15 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the LVD is configured to adhere to the patient's skin for about 5 minutes to about 120 minutes.
16 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the LVD is configured to deliver a volume of about 2 ml to about 10 ml of the liquid medicament during the injection process.
17 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the LVD is configured to inject the liquid medicament over a time period of about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes.
18 . The LVD of claim 1 , wherein the LVD is configured to retract the needle.
19 . A method of operating a large volume device (LVD) configured to deliver a liquid medicament to a patient, the LVD comprising:
a housing configured to adhere to the patient's skin during the delivery of the liquid medicament to the patient, the housing containing:
a needle injection system configured to insert a needle into the patient;
a rigid casing containing a deformable medicament container that is configured to contain the liquid medicament; and
a pressurized gas cartridge fluidly connected to the rigid casing and configured to allow a flow of gas from the pressurized gas cartridge into the rigid casing,
wherein the method comprises causing the flow of gas from the pressurized gas cartridge into the rigid casing to compress the deformable medicament container to displace the liquid medicament through the needle.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the LVD is configured to adhere to the patient's skin for about 5 minutes to about 120 minutes.
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