The invention relates to dual vial adapter assemblages for use with a needleless syringe, a drug vial containing a medicament, and a liquid vial containing liquid contents.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,365 to Zinger et al. entitled Fluid Transfer Device discloses a dual vial adapter assemblage for use with a needleless syringe, a drug vial containing a medicament, and a liquid vial containing liquid contents. The drug vial is under negative pressure. The needleless syringe is preferably formed with a male Luer lock connector. The medicament can be in the form of a powder, solid or liquid. The liquid contents can be in the form of diluent only or alternatively include an active component. Dual vial adapter assemblages constructed and operative in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,365 are commercially available from West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., Exton, USA under the registered trademark MIX2VIAL.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,365 dual vial adapter assemblages include a drug vial adapter for telescopic mounting on a drug vial and a liquid vial adapter for telescopic mounting on a liquid vial and in initial releasable engagement with the drug vial adapter. The liquid vial adapter includes a male connector in flow communication with a liquid vial stopper puncturing cannula for puncturing a liquid vial stopper on telescopic mounting the liquid vial adapter on a liquid vial. The male connector is preferably a male Luer lock connector. The drug vial adapter includes a female connector in flow communication with a drug vial stopper puncturing cannula for puncturing a drug vial stopper on telescopic mounting the drug vial adapter on a drug vial. The female connector is preferably a female Luer connector with a screw thread for screw thread attachment of a male Luer lock connector thereon.
The use of U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,365 dual vial adapter assemblage is as follows: The dual vial adapter assemblage is provided in an initial flow communication position with the liquid vial adapter screw thread mounted on the drug vial adapter such that the liquid vial adapter's male connector is in flow communication with the drug vial adapter's female connector. The liquid vial adapter is telescopic mounted onto the liquid vial placed on a horizontal work table. The dual vial adapter assemblage is inverted ready for telescopic mounting the drug vial adapter on the drug vial placed on the horizontal work table with the liquid vial adapter above the drug vial adapter. On telescopic mounting the drug vial adapter on the drug vial, the negative pressure draws the liquid contents downward from the liquid vial into the drug vial for forming a liquid drug in the drug vial. The liquid vial adapter is unthreaded from the drug vial adapter and the needleless syringe is attached to its female connector ready for aspiration of the liquid drug from the drug vial to the needleless syringe. The entire liquid drug contents can be aspirated from the drug vial either in a single aspiration or two or more aspirations in quick succession. Subsequent aspirations after a prolonged detachment of the liquid vial adapter from the drug vial adapter is generally refrained due to concern of lack of sterility.
There is a need for a dual vial adapter assemblage for facilitating multiple aspirations of liquid drug dosages from a drug vial under sterile conditions after a prolonged detachment of a liquid vial adapter from a drug vial adapter.
The present invention is directed towards a dual vial adapter assemblage similar to the aforementioned commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,365. The present invention differs from the former insofar as the present invention includes a drug vial adapter with a female connector fitted with a normally closed needlefree swabable self-sealing access valve which can be selectively opened to a flow communication state on insertion of a male connector therein and a manually operable flow control arrangement. Such normally closed needlefree swabable self-sealing access valves are commercially available from inter alia Halkey Roberts, and the like. http://www.halkeyrobetts.com/products/medical/general.aspx.
The flow control arrangement has the following three operative positions: First, an initial extended set-up position in which the liquid vial adapter engages the drug vial adapter without the liquid vial adapter's male connector being inserted in the drug vial adapter's female connector such that its self-sealing access valve remains closed. Second, an intermediate compacted flow communication position for urging the liquid vial adapter's male connector into the female connector for compressing the self-sealing access valve into a flow communication state for enabling flow communication between the drug vial and the liquid vial for enabling formation of liquid drug contents in the drug vial. And third, a final detachment position for enabling detachment of the liquid vial adapter from the drug vial adapter thereby providing access to the self-sealing access valve for repeated aspirations of liquid drug contents from the drug vial.
The extended set-up position enables the dual vial adapter assemblage to be stored for its intended shelf life without concern regarding the normally closed self-sealing access valve becoming unfit for use due to prolonged storage in its compressed flow communication state which may deteriorate its self-sealing capability. The liquid vial adapter's male connector preferably contacts the self-sealing access valve so as to maintain its sterility during storage in the initial extended set-up position of the dual vial adapter assemblage. Accordingly, the dual vial adapter assemblage is ready to use on removal from its sterile packaging without the need to swab the self-sealing access valve prior to the first aspiration of liquid drug contents. Alternatively, the male connector can be spaced apart from the self-sealing access valve in the initial extended set-up position. Accordingly, the self-sealing access valve is maintained sterile by being covered by a manually removable label to be removed before use of the dual vial adapter assemblage.
The use of the dual vial adapter assemblage of the present invention is modified from the U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,365 dual vial adapter assemblage insofar as a user is required to initially dispose the dual vial adapter assemblage from its initial extended set-up position to its intermediate compacted flow communication position before forming liquid drug contents in a drug vial. The dual vial adapter assemblage of the present invention can be implemented such that the flow control arrangement requires either a manual linear compaction of a liquid vial adapter towards a drug vial adapter or a manual rotational compaction of a liquid vial adapter relative to a drug vial adapter for urging the flow control arrangement from its initial extended set-up position to its intermediate compacted flow communication position. Flow control arrangements can be implemented with different types of mechanical arrangements including hook member arrangements including at least one hook member, bayonet arrangements including at least one pin and groove pair, screw thread arrangements, and the like.
In the case of a flow control arrangement involving a linear compaction of a liquid vial adapter towards a drug vial adapter, a dual vial adapter assemblage can be preferably packaged in a blister for assisting a user to follow a prescribed set of instructions for use. The blister includes an internal rigid restrainer arrangement at its blister container open end for preventing immediate snap fit of a liquid vial adapter on a liquid vial on telescopic mounting of a liquid vial adapter on a liquid vial. The internal rigid restrainer arrangement can be provided as a discrete restrainer ring for mounting inside a blister container open end or alternatively can be an integral design feature. Suitable mountings include inter alia snap fits, gluing, and the like.
In order to understand the invention and to see how it can be carried out in practice, preferred embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise numbered, and in which:
The dual vial adapter assemblage 50A has a longitudinal dual vial adapter assemblage centerline 51 and includes a liquid vial adapter 60 and a drug vial adapter 80 initially inter-engaged on the liquid vial adapter 60. The dual vial adapter assemblage 50A has a manual operable flow control arrangement 52A having three operative positions as follows: an initial extended set-up position, an intermediate compacted flow communication position and a final detachment position. Alternative drug vial adapter assemblages can be implemented with different flow control arrangements capable of assuming the intended three operative positions described hereinbelow.
The liquid vial adapter 60 includes a transverse liquid vial adapter top wall 61 with an upright male connector 62 and an opposite directed liquid vial adapter skirt 63 for telescopic mounting on the liquid vial 30. The male connector 62 is preferably a male Luer lock connector. The liquid vial adapter 60 further includes a liquid vial stopper puncturing cannula 64 for puncturing the liquid vial stopper 34 on telescopic mounting the liquid vial adapter 60 on the liquid vial 30. The upright male connector 62 is in flow communication with the liquid vial stopper puncturing cannula 64. The restrainer ring 48 has an internal diameter dimensioned to snugly receive the liquid vial adapter skirt 63 in its non-flexed position and prevents the opening of the liquid vial adapter skirt 63 for snap fitting on the liquid vial 30.
The liquid vial adapter 60 further includes an upright cylindrical sleeve 66 mounted on the transverse liquid vial adapter top wall 61 and encircling the upright male connector 62. The upright cylindrical sleeve 66 has a leading sleeve rim 67 facing the drug vial adapter 80. The cylindrical sleeve 66 is thin walled so that it can resiliently elastically deformed from a non-flexed cylindrical cross section to a slightly deformed elliptical cross section. The cylindrical sleeve 66 has a diametric pair of longitudinal directed closed end elongated slits 68 extending from the transverse liquid vial adapter top wall 61 to the leading sleeve rim 67. The leading sleeve rim 67 has a diametric pair of inward directed hook members 69 aligned with the diametric pair of longitudinal directed closed end elongated slits 68.
The drug vial adapter 80 includes a transverse drug vial adapter top wall 81 with an upright female connector 82 and an opposite directed drug vial adapter skirt 83 for telescopic mounting on the drug vial 20. The female connector 82 is preferably a female Luer connector. The drug vial adapter 80 further includes a drug vial stopper puncturing cannula 84 for puncturing the drug vial stopper 24 on telescopic mounting the drug vial adapter 80 on the drug vial 20. The upright female connector 82 is in flow communication with the drug vial stopper puncturing cannula 84. The upright female connector 82 is fitted with a needlefree swabable self-closing access valve 86 selectively compressible from an uncompressed normally closed state to a compressed flow communication state on a sealing insertion of a male connector therein. The needlefree swabable self-sealing access valve 86 includes a swabable pre-slit access surface 87.
The upright female connector 82 is formed with a diametric pair of longitudinal directed tracks 88 each having an upper track rim 89 and a lower track rim 91. The longitudinal directed tracks 88 are slightly longer than the height of the restrainer ring 48. The longitudinal directed tracks 88 diverge from their upper track rims 89 to their lower track rims 91 such that the lower track rims 91 are further distanced from the longitudinal dual vial adapter assemblage centerline 51 than the upper track rims 89. The upright female connector 82 is formed with a diametric pair of horizontal recesses 92 under the lower track rims 91 adjacent the transverse drug vial adapter top wall 81. The upright female connector 82 is formed with sloping escape ramps 93 on either side of the horizontal recesses 92 such that a manual rotation of the liquid vial adapter 60 relative to the drug vial adapter 80 releases the inward directed hook members 69 from the horizontal recesses 92 and causes them to ride up one of the sloping escape ramps 93 to distance the former 60 from the latter 80.
The flow control arrangement 52A has a final detachment position for enabling detachment of the liquid vial adapter 60 from the drug vial adapter 80 on a clockwise or counter clockwise rotation of the liquid vial adapter 60 relative to the drug vial adapter 80 thereby exposing the self-sealing access valve 86. Such release of the liquid vial adapter 60 from the drug vial adapter 80 involves slight elastic deformation of the thin walled cylindrical sleeve 66 from its non-flexed cylindrical cross section to its flexed elliptical cross section. The manual rotation of the liquid vial adapter 60 relative to the drug vial adapter 80 releases the inward directed hook members 69 from the horizontal recesses 92 and causes them to ride up one of the sloping escape ramps 93 to distance the former 60 from the latter 80. The self-sealing access valve 86 reverts to its normally closed state presenting the swabable pre-slit access surface 87.
The liquid vial adapter 60 is formed with an upright cylindrical sleeve 66 with a diametric pair of Y-shaped grooves 72. The generally Y-shaped grooves 72 each include a first closed end 73, a second closed end 74 opposite the first closed end 73, and an open end 76 adjacent the closed end 73. The drug vial adapter 80 is formed with an upright cylindrical sleeve 96 encircling the female connector 82. The upright cylindrical sleeve 96 is shaped and dimensioned to be telescopically received within the upright cylindrical sleeve 66 on disposing the dual vial adapter assemblage 50C from its initial extended set-up position to its intermediate compacted flow communication position. The upright cylindrical sleeve 96 is formed with a diametric pair of outward directed pins 97 for sliding along the Y-shaped grooves 72. The pins 97 are located at the first closed ends 73 at the initial extended set-up position, the second closed ends 74 at the intermediate compacted flow communication position and the open ends 76 at the detachment position.
The flow control arrangement 52C has the following three positions:
A final detachment position for enabling detachment of the liquid vial adapter 60 from the drug vial adapter 80 on counterclockwise rotation of the liquid vial adapter 60 relative thereto around the longitudinal dual vial adapter assemblage centerline 51 as denoted by arrow E in
While particular embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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242776 | Nov 2015 | IL | national |
245641 | May 2016 | IL | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IL16/51265 | 11/24/2016 | WO | 00 |