Autoinjector With Needle Depth Adapter

Abstract

An autoinjector useful for, inter alia, providing an injection of liquid medicament is uniquely capable of providing injections, utilizes a needle depth adapter to provide injection depths with a combination of accuracy and precision not heretofore seen. In addition, the autoinjector with needle depth adapter can include a variety of size needle depth adapters to provide an autoinjector of varying, precise injection depths and which can be readily and easily manufactured. The autoinjector includes a housing, cartridge assembly, needle, needle depth adapter, and power providing assembly.

1 . An autoinjector assembly comprising:
 a cylindrical housing having a distal end and a proximal end, and having a tapered abutment surface defined on a radially inner surface of the cylindrical housing;   a cartridge assembly having a distal end and a proximal end, moveably situated within the cylindrical housing;   a needle attached to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly;   a punctureable sheath covering the needle with the sheath being completely contained within the cylindrical housing;   an activatable power providing assembly for providing force to move the cartridge assembly to cause the needle to extend out of the proximal end of the cylindrical housing; and   a needle depth adapter connected to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly for limiting the extension of the needle out of the proximal end of the cylindrical housing by abutting the abutment surface of the cylindrical housing, the needle depth adapter further comprising:
 an abutting side, a distal side, a radial exterior surface, and a radial interior surface; 
 the needle depth adapter having a ratio of length of the needle depth adapter when measured from the distal surface to the proximal surface, to a radial thickness defined between the radially exterior and interior surfaces, of greater than about 2; 
 the radial exterior surface and the abutting side defining a corner arranged to engage the tapered abutment surface, the corner being deformable; and 
 the needle depth adapter being dimensioned so that when the needle depth adapter abuts the tapered abutment surface the needle extends from the cylindrical housing to provide a depth of injection of from about 0.15 inches to about 0.30 inches. 
   
     
     
         2 . The injector of  claim 1 , wherein the ratio of length of the needle depth adapter when measured from the distal surface to the proximal surface, to the radial thickness defined between the radially exterior and interior surfaces, is greater than about 3. 
     
     
         3 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the depth of injection is from about 0.20 inches to about 0.25 inches. 
     
     
         4 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the depth of injection is limited to a range to provide a subcutaneous injection. 
     
     
         5 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, polymers, hydrocarbon polymers, deformable metals, cellulosic compositions and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of hydrocarbon polymers. 
     
     
         7 . The injector of  claim 6  wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of rubber. 
     
     
         8 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the needle depth adapter is deformable. 
     
     
         9 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the distal side is perpendicular to the radial exterior surface. 
     
     
         10 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the distal side is perpendicular to the radial interior surface. 
     
     
         11 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the abutting side is perpendicular to the radial exterior surface. 
     
     
         12 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises a length of the radial exterior surface when measured from the distal side to the abutting side that is about equal to the length of the radial interior surface when measured from the distal side to the abutting side. 
     
     
         13 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises an exterior diameter of from about 0.4 inches to about 0.6 inches. 
     
     
         14 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises an interior diameter of from about 0.2 inches to about 0.4 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The injector of  claim 1  wherein the radial thickness is from about 0.05 inches to about 0.18 inches. 
     
     
         16 . The injector of  claim 1  further comprising the punctureable needle sheath attached to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The injector of  claim 16  wherein the punctureable needle sheath is collapsible. 
     
     
         18 . The injector of  claim 16  wherein the sheath is comprised of materials selected from the group consisting of polymers, metals, cellulosic materials, plastics, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The injector of  claim 1  further comprising a medicament contained within the cartridge assembly to be injected out through the needle. 
     
     
         20 . The injector of  claim 19  wherein the medicament is selected from the group consisting of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, loperamide hydrochloride, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The injector of  claim 19  wherein the medicament is sumatriptan.