Device for delivering medicament

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for the delivery of predetermined doses of liquid medicament to a patient, which medicament is intended to be inhaled by the patient or intended to be injected into the body of the patient. The device is adapted to be in a medicament delivery state and in a medicament non-delivery state. When the device is in a medicament delivery state, said device is adapted to drive a piston into a cartridge containing the liquid medicament to be delivered, with a force that is above or equal to a predetermined minimum force value and below a predetermined maximum force value. The minimum force value is the lowest force value needed to deliver the predetermined dose and the maximum force value is the first force value at which it exists a risk of damaging the cartridge or the components of the device.

1 . A device ( 2 ,  100 ,  60 ) for delivery of predetermined doses of liquid medicament, which device is adapted to be in a medicament delivery state and in a medicament nondelivery state, said device is adapted to comprise; 
 a cartridge ( 10 ,  103 ,  69 ) adapted to contain the liquid medicament and a piston sealingly and    slidably arranged in said cartridge,    an elongated threaded plunger rod ( 16 ,  126 ,  84 ) adapted to be arranged in the interior of the device, wherein the proximal end of the plunger rod is adapted to be in contact with the piston, such that, when a force is applied to the plunger rod when the device is in the medicament delivery state, the plunger rod and the piston moves towards the proximal end of the cartridge with a predetermined distance and expels a predetermined dose of the liquid medicament from the cartridge, characterized in that the force that is applied to the piston during medicament delivery is set to a predetermined force value.    
   
   
       2 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the predetermined force value is above or equal to a predetermined minimum force value and below a predetermined maximum force value.  
   
   
       3 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said minimum force value is the lowest force value needed to deliver the predetermined dose and that said maximum force value is the first force value at which it exists a risk of damaging the cartridge and/or the device.  
   
   
       4 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the device comprises an energy accumulating member ( 26 ,  114 ,  86 ) adapted to accumulate energy in terms of at least one predetermined step when the device is in the medicament non-delivery state, which energy is adapted to be transferred to the plunger rod so that said plunger rod is provided with the predetermined force that drives the plunger rod and the piston the predetermined distance towards the proximal end of the cartridge when the device is in the medicament delivery state.  
   
   
       5 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the device comprises a dose setting member ( 4 ,  104 ,  70 ) adapted to be rotated in terms of at least one 
   39  predetermined step when the device is in the medicament non-delivery state, wherein the rotation of the dose setting member by one step increases the set dose with one step and also increases the accumulated energy in the energy accumulating member with one step.    
   
   
       6 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the device is adapted to be set to a default dose value to be delivered, wherein the dose setting member ( 4 ,  104 ,  70 ) is adapted to be rotated only the predetermined number of steps that correspond to said default dose value.  
   
   
       7 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the energy accumulating member is a spring capable of providing an output torque and that the accumulated energy is energy that results from the rotational tensioning of the spring, which energy will be transferred to said output torque when the tensioning of the spring is released when the device is set in the medicament delivery state, and in that the output torque is adapted to be provided to a plunger rod driving member ( 40 ,  88 ) provided with a predetermined pitch of grooving that corresponds to the threads of the plunger rod, wherein the rotation of the plunger rod driving member due to the output torque of the spring, drives the plunger rod without rotation the predetermined distance towards the proximal end of the cartridge with the predetermined force.  
   
   
       8 . Device according to  claim 7 , characterized in that the spring is a flat spiral spring.  
   
   
       9 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the energy accumulating member is a helical spring and that the accumulated energy is energy that results from the compression of said helical spring, and in that said energy is adapted to be transferred to the plunger rod when the device is in the medicament delivery state, so that said 
 plunger rod moves with rotation towards the proximal end of the cartridge the predetermined distance, wherein the cartridge is comprised in a cartridge housing ( 66 ) that is provided with a thread with a predetermined pitch of grooving that corresponds to the thread of the plunger rod.    
   
   
       10 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the cooperation between the predetermined energy of the energy accumulating member that is accumulated  40  when the dose setting member is rotated and the predetermined pitch of grooving of the thread on the plunger rod, determines the predetermined force value that is applied to the piston during medicament delivery.  
   
   
       11 . Device according to  claim 1  characterized in that the device comprises at least one additional rod ( 200 ) extending along the longitudinal axis of the device, that is in contact with the plunger rod ( 16 ,  126 ,  84 ), wherein said at least one additional rod is adapted to provide the plunger rod with a force that drives the plunger rod towards the proximal end of the cartridge when the at least one additional rod is applied with a force that drives the at least one additional rod towards the proximal end of the device when said device is in the medicament delivery state.  
   
   
       12 . Device according to  claim 11  characterized in that the force that is applied to the at least one additional rod is applied before the medicament delivery procedure and that said force corresponds to the force that is needed for the piston to start is movement from its initial position in the distal end of the cartridge.  
   
   
       13 . Device according to  claim 11  characterized in that the force that is applied to the at least one additional rod is applied before the medicament delivery procedure and that said force corresponds to the force that is needed for the initial priming, calibration of the device and/or mixing of the medicament(s) in the cartridge.  
   
   
       14 . Device according to  claim 11  characterized in that the distal end of the at least one additional rod is comprised within a housing ( 202 ) provided on the distal end of the device ( 2 ,  60 ,  100 ), which housing is adapted to be rotated to a second position from a first position, and in that the housing further comprises a helical spring ( 204 ) in contact with the at least one additional rod, which spring is in a compressed state when the housing is in the first position, and which spring, when the house is rotated to the second position, is adapted to provide the at least one additional rod with the force that drives the at least one additional rod towards the proximal end of the device.  
   
   
       15 . Device according to  claim 1  characterized in that the device during medicament delivery is adapted to be set in the medicament non-delivery state before the entire set dose has been delivered, whereupon the plunger rod stops its movement towards the 41 proximal end of the cartridge, and that the device thereafter is adapted to be set in the medicament delivery state, whereupon the plunger rod continues to move the predetermined distance towards the proximal end of the device.  
   
   
       16 . Device according to  claim 1  characterized in that the device is adapted to be connected to a medicament administrating member in the form of a mouth or nasal piece, which the patient puts in the mouth or nose, respectively, whereby the predetermined dose of medicament is inhaled by the patient when the delivery device is in the medicament delivery state.  
   
   
       17 . Device according to  claim 1  characterized in that the device is adapted to be connected to a medicament administrating member in the form of a nozzle, whereby the predetermined dose of medicament is sprayed to the eye or onto the skin of the patient when the delivery device is in the medicament delivery state.  
   
   
       18 . Device according to  claim 1  characterized in that the device is adapted to be connected to a medicament administrating member in the form of a member that introduces the predetermined dose of medicament to the eye of the patient in the form of at least one drop when the delivery device is in the medicament delivery state.  
   
   
       19 . Device according to  claim 1  characterized in that the device is adapted to be connected to a medicament administrating member in the form of a needle for the injection of the predetermined dose of medicament into the body of the patient when the delivery device is in the medicament delivery state.  
   
   
       20 . Method of using a device according to  claim 1.