US2008216828A1PendingUtilityA1

Heating unit for use in a drug delivery device

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Assignee: ALEXZA PHARMACEUTICALS INCPriority: Mar 9, 2007Filed: Mar 10, 2008Published: Sep 11, 2008
Est. expiryMar 9, 2027(~0.6 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Martin J. WensleyMarc GlazerJames BressonRyan TimmonsDaniel J. Myers
A61M 15/00A61K 31/4985A61K 31/4525A61M 2205/8268A61M 11/041A61K 31/53A61K 31/196A61M 15/06A61K 9/007A61K 31/451A61M 11/042A61M 11/047A61K 31/4468A61M 2205/3653A61K 9/0009A61K 31/573A61K 31/197A61K 31/7076A61K 9/12A61K 31/5415A61K 31/138A61M 15/0015A61K 31/58A61K 31/433A61K 31/519A61K 31/135A61K 31/56A61M 11/001
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Claims

Abstract

Drug supply units are disclosed which comprise substrates having a plurality of holes formed therein.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A drug supply unit comprising a substrate, wherein the substrate has a surface containing a plurality of holes, and wherein at least a portion of the surface is coated with a drug composition. 
   
   
       2 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of holes comprises at least 10 holes. 
   
   
       3 . The drug supply unit of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of holes comprises at least 50 holes. 
   
   
       4 . The drug supply unit of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of holes comprises at least 100 holes. 
   
   
       5 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a thickness, and wherein the holes are circular and have a diameter at least as great as the thickness of the substrate. 
   
   
       6 . The drug supply unit of  claim 5 , wherein the substrate has a thickness of at least 5.0×10 −4  inches. 
   
   
       7 . The drug supply unit of  claim 6 , wherein the substrate has a thickness in the range of 5.0×10 −4  to 5.0×10 −3  inches. 
   
   
       8 . The drug supply unit of  claim 7 , wherein the portion of the surface that is coated with a drug composition has a surface area in the range of 8 mm 2  to 20 cm 2 . 
   
   
       9 . The drug supply unit of  claim 8 , wherein the portion of the surface that is coated with a drug composition has a surface area in the range of 9 mm 2  to 15 cm 2 . 
   
   
       10 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the surface that is coated with a drug composition has a porosity in the range of 1% to 70%. 
   
   
       11 . The drug supply unit of  claim 10 , wherein the portion of the surface that is coated with a drug composition has a porosity in the range of 10% to 60%. 
   
   
       12 . The drug supply unit of  claim 11 , wherein the portion of the surface that is coated with a drug composition has a porosity in the range of 20% to 50%. 
   
   
       13 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a metal. 
   
   
       14 . The drug supply unit of  claim 13 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, gold, copper, titanium, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       15 . The drug supply unit of  claim 14 , wherein the metal is stainless steel. 
   
   
       16 . The drug supply unit of  claim 15 , wherein the stainless steel is heat-passivated. 
   
   
       17 . The drug supply unit of  claim 15 , wherein the stainless steel is amorphous silicon treated. 
   
   
       18 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a polymer. 
   
   
       19 . The drug supply unit of  claim 18 , wherein the substrate has a thickness within the range of about 5.0×10 −4  to 1.0×10 −2  inches. 
   
   
       20 . The drug supply unit of  claim 18 , wherein the polymer is a polyimide. 
   
   
       21 . The drug supply unit of  claim 20 , wherein the substrate is a polyimide film having a first surface and second surface, and wherein electrically conductive traces are formed on the first surface of the polyimide film substrate. 
   
   
       22 . The drug supply unit of  claim 21 , wherein the drug composition is coated onto the first surface of the polyimide film substrate. 
   
   
       23 . The drug supply unit of  claim 21 , wherein the drug composition is coated onto the second surface of the polyimide film substrate. 
   
   
       24 . The drug supply unit of  claim 21 , wherein the drug is coated onto both the first surface and the second surface of the polyimide film substrate. 
   
   
       25 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the drug supply unit is configured to heat at least a portion of the substrate to a temperature of at least 200° C. 
   
   
       26 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is an exterior surface of the drug supply unit. 
   
   
       27 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a separate layer of material in close proximity to an exterior surface of the drug supply unit. 
   
   
       28 . The drug supply unit of  claim 1 , wherein the drug supply unit comprises an electrically resistive heating unit. 
   
   
       29 . An aerosol drug delivery device comprising:
 a housing defining an airway;   a drug supply unit comprising a surface, wherein at least a portion of the surface includes a plurality of holes;   a heating element operatively associated with the drug supply unit; and   a drug composition coated onto at least a portion of the surface of the substrate;   
     wherein the heating element is configured to heat the substrate to a temperature sufficient to vaporize at least a portion of the drug. 
   
   
       30 . A method of producing a drug-containing aerosol, the method comprising:
 a. providing an aerosol drug delivery device comprising
 a housing defining an airway; 
 a drug supply unit comprising a surface, wherein at least a portion of the surface includes a plurality of holes; 
 a heating element operatively associated with the drug supply unit; and 
 a drug composition coated onto at least a portion of the surface of the substrate; 
   wherein the heating element is configured to heat the substrate to a temperature sufficient to vaporize at least a portion of the drug.   b. providing an air flow through the plurality of holes while heating the substrate; and   c. allowing the vaporized drug to cool and condense into an aerosol comprising particles.   
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the substrate is an exterior surface of the drug supply unit. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the substrate is a separate layer of material in close proximity to an exterior surface of the drug supply unit. 
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the drug is heated to a temperature and for a duration that results in an acceptably low level of decomposition. 
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the vaporized drug is rapidly mixed into the air flow to cool and preclude additional decomposition of the drug. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the drug-containing aerosol has a purity level of at least 95%. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the drug-containing aerosol has a purity level of at least 96%. 
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the drug-containing aerosol has a purity level of at least 97%. 
   
   
       38 . A drug supply unit, wherein the drug supply unit is configured to heat a drug coated on a surface of a substrate to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the drug, wherein a portion of the substrate includes a plurality of holes formed therethrough, and wherein the number of and spacing between the holes is sufficient that a drug vaporized from the substrate exhibits a purity that is greater than the purity of a drug vaporized from a substrate that does not include a plurality of holes formed therethrough. 
   
   
       39 . The drug supply unit of  claim 38 , wherein the drug supply unit comprises an electrically resistive heating unit. 
   
   
       40 . An aerosol drug delivery device comprising:
 a housing defining an airway;   a drug supply unit that is configured to heat a drug disposed on an exterior surface of a substrate to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the drug, wherein a portion of the exterior surface of the substrate includes a plurality of holes formed therethrough; and   a drug disposed on a portion of the exterior surface of the substrate,   wherein the number of and spacing between the holes is sufficient that, when the drug is vaporized from the substrate, the vaporized drug exhibits a purity that is greater than the purity of a drug vaporized from a substrate that does not include a plurality of holes formed therethrough.   
   
   
       41 . A method of producing a drug-containing aerosol comprising:
 providing an aerosol delivery device comprising
 a housing defining an airway; 
 a drug supply unit that is configured to heat a drug disposed on a surface of a substrate to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the drug, wherein a portion of the exterior surface of the substrate includes a plurality of holes formed therethrough; and 
 a drug disposed on a portion of the exterior surface of the substrate, 
   providing an air flow through the plurality of holes while subsequently heating the substrate to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the drug; and   allowing the vaporized drug to condense into an aerosol comprising particles,   wherein the number of and spacing between the holes is sufficient that the vaporized drug exhibits a purity that is greater than the purity of a drug vaporized from a substrate that does not include a plurality of holes formed therethrough.   
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the substrate is an exterior surface of the drug supply unit. 
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the substrate is a separate layer of material in close proximity to an exterior surface of the drug supply unit. 
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the drug is heated to a temperature and for a duration that results in an acceptably low level of decomposition. 
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the vaporized drug is rapidly mixed into the air flow to cool and preclude additional decomposition of the drug. 
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the drug-containing aerosol has a purity level of at least 95%. 
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the drug-containing aerosol has a purity level of at least 96%. 
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the drug-containing aerosol has a purity level of at least 97%.

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