Patent Grant
7824383
The invention relates to the delivery of therapeutic formulations to human females onto or through the vaginal surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to drug delivery systems that include a device which is inserted into the vagina of a human female to reside typically at or near the cervix, and wherein the device contains and dispenses a flowable therapeutic or prophylactic formulation.
There is an urgent need for more simple, inexpensive and acceptable methods for prevention of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in addition to the latex condom. One approach that is being explored is the development of vaginal microbicides that can prevent infection with HIV when administered vaginally prior to or immediately after intercourse. While a number of pharmaceutical agents and formulations are being developed, there is a need for new and improved delivery methods so that as many women as possible will be able to find an acceptable product.
Currently the two main approaches that are used for vaginal delivery of microbicidal formulations are: (1) insertion of the formulation into the vagina with a piston-type tubular device, and (2) applying the formulation onto a diaphragm and then inserting the diaphragm into the vagina. However, many women experience leakage of a gel from the vagina, and consider vaginal gels to be messy, reducing their acceptability. Some women also may not be confident of their ability to properly place a diaphragm over the uterine cervix, and applying a gel onto a diaphragm prior to insertion may be considered inconvenient by some women.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a safe, reliable, inexpensive, and easy-to-use drug delivery system and method that can be utilized (1) for the prevention of diseases such as HIV and other sexually transmitted infections that may be introduced through the vagina, (2) for the prevention of pregnancy, and (3) for the treatment of other diseases. In some embodiments, the invention's delivery system includes a soft, single or multilayer device charged with a flowable therapeutic formulation. By “charged,” we mean that the flowable therapeutic formulation is put into or onto the device so that the device will become thoroughly saturated with the formulation. This device can be inserted into the vagina, preferably by digital placement, as described below, and will release a flowable therapeutic formulation through its outer surface, which is in contact with the vaginal surfaces.
In certain embodiments, the device of the present invention may have a low density prior to being loaded/charged with a therapeutic formulation. It is soft, pliable, and the outer surface is saturated with the contained, flowable therapeutic formulation, making the device easy to insert with minimal friction and resistance. Consequently, in its primary applications, the device can be used menstrually and intra-menstrually without being affected by either the dry or moist state of the vaginal tissues. The device also may be easily packaged in a non-compressed state, for example, in a watertight package. Also, in some embodiments, the device may be disposable and/or biodegradable.
While some less costly embodiments of the invention are insertable into the vagina by the user's finger, the device may also be designed for insertion using an inserter, such as a piston-type vaginal applicator similar to those used for tampons. Alternatively, the device may be constructed with a pocket dimensioned for a user's finger to aid in properly inserting the device with a finger.
In some embodiments, the device of the invention includes a reservoir that contains the flowable therapeutic formulation. The reservoir releases the flowable therapeutic formulation when the device is in use. The reservoir also may be partially or completely enveloped by an optional covering.
The reservoir and covering, if applied, are both made of textile materials, and their physical characteristics are chosen to assist in forcing the flowable therapeutic formulation from the reservoir. This is achieved via flow from capillary spaces or pores in the material of the reservoir, into and through the surrounding covering, to the outer or external surface of the device, and finally to the vaginal surfaces.
The devices of the invention described herein also may include a securely attached withdrawal cord of suitable material, for example, a textile or plastic material. The device may also include appendages affixed to or formed with the perimeter or external surface of the device to facilitate its removal.
The flowable therapeutic formulation may be prepared using a wide variety of thickeners or other excipients, resulting in a wide variety of physical and chemical characteristics, which are known to those with expertise in the art of preparing pharmaceutical formulations.
The therapeutic agents included in the formulation may be selected from the group of hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptive agents, vaginal spermicides, vaginal microbicides, antibacterial agents, antifungal agents, antiviral agents, anti-HIV agents, anticancer agents, and combinations thereof. A tabulation of vaginal microbicides, whose use is contemplated by this new device, is contained, for example, in Microbicide Quarterly, Volume 2, Number 1, January through March of 2004 and in the journal article, “Microbicides: A new frontier in HIV prevention,” by Ian McGowan, Biologicals Vol. 34 (2006), pp 241-255.
With respect to the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI's), the release of a flowable therapeutic formulation into the vagina is intended to provide an agent that will coat and/or be absorbed by vaginal tissues in order to inactivate infectious agents or prevent their contact with susceptible tissues or cells.
In general, the pores formed in the reservoir, in the one or more layers surrounding it, and in the external surface of the covering, are such that even in the absence of any external pressure, the flowable therapeutic formulation will naturally migrate outwardly from the reservoir to the outermost surface of the device. This migration is driven primarily by the capillary forces resulting from interaction of the flowable therapeutic formulation with the structural surfaces of the reservoir, covering material, and the dimensions of the pores within them. The migration can be controlled by manipulating the various factors that influence the capillary forces, including but not limited to: (a) the dimensions of the interconnected pores in the reservoir and in the enveloping covering; (b) the contact angle between the flowable therapeutic formulation and the structural surfaces of the reservoir and cover material; and c) the viscosity and other physico-chemical characteristics of the therapeutic formulation. With the appropriate choice of materials and therapeutic formulation characteristics, the flowable therapeutic formulation will naturally migrate to the outermost pores of the covering of the device. In doing so, the available flowable therapeutic formulation within the total device will continue to accumulate at the outermost surface of the device from which it can lubricate the device during insertion.
Following insertion, the device will continue to transfer flowable therapeutic formulation to the vaginal surfaces. As the outside surface of the device is depleted of flowable therapeutic formulation, it is replenished by the continued migration of flowable therapeutic formulation from the reservoir to the outermost pores of the enveloping covering. Additionally, the movement or migration of flowable formulation may be augmented by intermittent compression of the device by variations in the physiologic forces acting on the pelvis and vagina caused by activities such as breathing, coughing, standing, walking, sitting, urinating and sexual intercourse.
In one manner of carrying out the invention, the device, in a therapeutically-filled and surface pre-wetted, uncompressed state, does not adhere to dry, unmoistened vaginal tissue. This is a particularly desirable feature for use of the device during non-menstruating days of the menstrual cycle, in order to avoid damage to vaginal surfaces which can occur when a dry, absorbent device such as a tampon is put in contact with unmoistened vaginal tissues. As is known in the art, a dry tampon can stick to the epithelial surfaces of the vaginal walls, and cause epithelial denudation when it is removed. In the embodiments described herein, this invention avoids that danger.
While certain embodiments of the invention, as described above, take advantage of differential capillary forces between the reservoir and covering in the delivery of a therapeutic formulation to vaginal surfaces, other embodiments of the invention may be made that rely significantly on the physiologic forces acting on the device. In this case the size of the pores or other structural features in the outer layer(s) control the rate of the flow of the therapeutic formulation from the reservoir onto vaginal surfaces. However, the design of such an embodiment would take into account the capillary forces of the materials and their interfaces, so as not to unduly inhibit or accelerate the delivery of the therapeutic formulation. In addition, it is desirable that embodiments that rely significantly on physiologic forces and resultant physical compression of the device for extrusion of the flowable formulation preferably use materials such that the capillary forces of the device components resist re-absorption of the therapeutic formulation back into the device.
The inventors have also found that there may be certain occasions where a slower release of therapeutic formulation is desired. This slow release is accomplished, in certain embodiments, by careful selection of the outer or intermediate covers. For example, the outer cover (or an intermediate cover, as shown in
a through 17b illustrate embodiments that include a pocket for insertion.
Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below and illustrated in the attached Figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art, and all such alternate embodiments, modifications and improvements are within the scope of the present invention.
Definitions:
Referring to the drawings, and particularly to
Device 10 has a generally flat, circular configuration and includes a reservoir 16 and an enclosing covering comprising top and bottom covers 22 and 24, respectively. The boundaries of reservoir 16 are generally coterminous with the boundaries of top and bottom covers 22 and 24. The reservoir 16 and covers 22, 24 of device 10 are secured together by a circular seal 26. Seal 26 may take the form of stitching, gluing, heat sealing or other suitable form. It may extend through the periphery of the composite structure, as shown in
The materials used for the top and bottom covers 22, 24 may be identical, similar, or different. For example, the material of cover 22 may be permeable to the flowable therapeutic formulation and the material of cover 24 can be less or more permeable than cover 22. In other embodiments, cover 24 may be impermeable to flowable therapeutic formulation, permitting device 10 to discharge flowable therapeutic formulation through only one surface; i.e., the outside surface of cover 22.
The cross-sectional views of
Referring now to
As described above, a withdrawal cord, if required, may be attached to the device in numerous ways. Another attachment technique is shown in
In another embodiment, shown in
a) and 16(b) illustrate another embodiment of the device 1210 that includes a finger pocket 39 attached to the top cover 22 inside the seal 26. Finger pocket 39 permits the user to support device 1210 during insertion and to position the device at or near the cervix. It should be noted that the preferred structure of device 1210 is one where the pocket is attached to one cover 22 leaving the other cover 24 free of obstructions and able to make intimate contact with the cervix and surrounding vaginal tissue.
a) and 17(b) show yet another embodiment of the device 1250 in which the finger pocket 39 is constructed by seal 26 connecting two layers of material 1255 and 1260 to enclose a finger pocket 39. In one embodiment, layers 1255 and 1260 may be formed of similar materials or similar multilayer materials. Unlike the previous embodiments, however, the layers 1255 and 1260 are formed of materials selected to actually comprise the reservoir structure without the necessity of other outer covers. In one embodiment, each of the layers may be formed of a felt-like non-woven material having a thickness of about ⅛ inch, although the material and thickness of the material may be selected based on the factors that are described in greater detail below. When formed in this manner, the layers 1255 and 1260 will themselves be charged with and wetted/saturated with the desired therapeutic formulation. Additionally, the inner surfaces of the layers 1255, 1260 may be formed to be smoother, and thus more slippery, so that the device may easily slip off of the insertion device after initial insertion and placement. An example of a non-woven material that could provide a slippery inner surface is made by Delstar Technologies Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., and marketed as item 30SR-Delnet/3.7NPET-E. This material is a composite non-woven fabric with a slippery, non-adherent layer on one side, and is similar to non-woven composites that are used in wound dressings and bandages. The width of the finger pocket, shown as dimension 1265, may be varied depending on the method of insertion, as also described in greater detail below. The contour and openness of the finger pocket may also be varied to facilitate insertion by a finger or other insertion device; i.e., layer 1255 may be dimensioned such that the pocket 39 will receive a finger, or as described below, a penis.
In another embodiment, the shape of the finger pocket may be panduriform, i.e., violin-shaped with a slight narrowing of the sides of the pocket near the pocket opening. This improves the friction between the sides of the user's finger and the sides of the finger pocket to facilitate insertion of the device.
This device also has a removal cord 30 attached to the device with a Prussic knot, similar to
While the embodiments described above are intended for self insertion by the user, there may be occasions when a physician would use the device to deliver a medication in a specific area of the vagina, for example, after a surgical procedure. In such cases, the device may be configured to cover the length of the vagina or alternatively, may be configured to restrict dispensing of therapeutic formulation to regions surrounding the cervix, rather than covering it.
For the embodiments shown in
The reservoirs of the insertable devices 10 through 2010 described above in conjunction with
Reservoir and Covering Materials and Properties of Therapeutic Formulations
In the various embodiments described herein, the flowable therapeutic formulation is caused to flow preferentially in one direction, and without the need for application of external pressures.
The inventors have found that the liquid of the therapeutic formulation will move into a porous wettable medium such as a fibrous pad by capillary suction. For flowable materials having a liquid phase, the capillary suction created by the pores of the pad acting on the fluid is described by the following Laplace equation:
Where P=the capillary suction created;
γ=the surface tension of the liquid phase of the flowable material;
θ (Theta)=the contact angle formed between the liquid phase of the flowable material and the porous media material; and
RC=is the effective capillary radius of the internal pore structure of the structure.
When the capillary suction is positive, the therapeutic formulation is drawn into the porous structure. When it is negative, then the porous structure is exerting a force on the fluid trying to expel the fluid from the pores.
When two fibrous or otherwise porous structures ‘A’ and ‘B’ are in contact and include the same wetting liquid contained within their own respective pore structures, no movement of liquid will occur if the capillary suction forces exerted by each structure on the contained liquid are equal. However, if there are differences between contact angles, effective capillary radius for the two media in contact and containing the same fluid, then the Laplace equation predicts and measure liquid partitioning between the two media. When equilibrium occurs,
P (MEDIA A)=P (MEDIA B).
That is, liquid does not flow from one structure to the other. Creating an imbalance between the two structures will cause liquid to flow until the capillary suction forces exhibited by each structure are again in balance. Thus, with the same fluid in ‘A’ and ‘B’, manipulating the effective capillary radius pore size distribution and contact angle for media ‘A’ to create a higher capillary suction than that in media ‘B’ will cause liquid to flow from ‘B’ to ‘A’. Thus,
Where RCA=Capillary radius in media ‘A’.
RCB=Capillary radius in media ‘B’.
Liquid will be drawn from media ‘B’ into media ‘A’ until the capillary suction of Media ‘A’ equals the opposing capillary suction forces of Media ‘B’, and usually because all attractive pores are filled.
The capillary suction force created by media acting on a liquid is proportional to
and can be increased by making the effective capillary radius very small. Capillary suction force can also be increased by selecting a media such that the value of COS θ (the wetting angle) is as large as possible; i.e., a value of +1, or a wetting angle of zero between media surface and wetting liquid. Conversely, the suction force can be reduced and even made negative by selecting a porous media in which the wetting angle is between 90 degrees and 180 degrees (COS θ between 0 and −1).
Smaller effective capillary radii also serve to make the negative capillary suction forces higher when the wetting angle is between 90 and 180 degrees.
In terms of the devices disclosed herein, and as will be appreciated, there are numerous combinations of capillary equation factors which may be manipulated to cause flow from the reservoir to the surface of the device, and to replenish liquid transferred from the surface of the device onto vaginal tissue. For example:
Therefore, it will be appreciated that the reservoir may be configured from a variety of materials including cellulosic and synthetic fibers and filaments, bleached rayon, cross-linked cellulose based fibers, porous foams, and super-absorbent gels, with the preferred choice being relatively coarse and stiff textile fibers. The selected materials may in some cases be formed into knitted, woven, and/or non-woven textile structures. In certain embodiments, the materials may be biodegradable. By relatively coarse, we mean fibers or filaments whose denier is typically in a range of about 2 to about 100 denier per filament. Because the device is subject to compressive forces in use and may be subject to compressive forces while in its package, it is desirable that the reservoir's structure be compressively resilient, sufficient to hold the internal surfaces of the reservoir enveloping covering apart and thus preventing excessive release of the flowable therapeutic formulation from the reservoir when the device is compressed and while in a watertight package prior to use. It is also desirable to package the device with little or no air in the package in order to help minimize flow of the formulation out of the device during storage.
Reservoirs configured from fibrous structures in the form of sliver, roving, knit, knitted, woven, nonwoven, spun-bond, meltblown, thermal bonded, needled, high loft, reticulated foams, films, or similar structures are contemplated. It is important that the reservoir have sufficient internal-connected spaces within its structure to contain flowable therapeutic formulation. Furthermore, it is desirable that the various structures of the reservoir have natural-surface finishes, as made or added intentionally, so that the reservoir can store and subsequently dispense the therapeutic agent by both capillary forces and physiologic pressures. More particularly, the various structures may be formed from synthetic fibers that are spun without the addition of spinning or lubricating finishes which are normally added to the hot, newly spun fibers as they exit the spinnerette. The natural surface characteristics of the newly spun fibers are generally water repellent which ultimately aids in repelling the applied therapeutic formulation, rather than holding it, during use of the device constructed from such fibers. For fibers that are naturally wettable, an intrinsically water repellent material may be sprayed onto the fibers to create a suitably repellent matrix surface that promotes migration of the therapeutic formulation toward the vaginal tissue. It has been found, for example, that a suitable reservoir may be constructed from a high loft batting, one half inch thick and made from coarse denier polyester fiber, bonded with a binder adhesive and sold as TX 13, manufactured by the Carpenter Company, Taylor, Tex.
It will be understood that in certain embodiments the chemical and physical characteristics of the material forming the reservoir may be engineered to be phobic relative to the flowable therapeutic formulation in order to facilitate the release of the flowable therapeutic formulation as it migrates to the surrounding covering. Materials that are easily wetted by the flowable therapeutic formulation are generally less suitable for reservoir construction because the flowable therapeutic formulation would be attractively held within the reservoir due to capillary forces. These forces would cause the therapeutic agent to remain within the reservoir and are increased when the total device is compressed, as is more likely to occur when the device is contained within the vagina. This phenomenon can be attributed to the capillary forces attracting the therapeutic material to the storage reservoir and increasing as the device is compressed. On compression, the pores within the storage reservoir are reduced in dimensions. Decreasing the capillary dimensions in an absorbent material where the absorbed, flowable therapeutic formulation wets the capillary surfaces causes the interfacial forces between wetting flowable therapeutic formulation and capillary surfaces to increase according to the Laplace equation, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is generally desirable that the characteristics of the material comprising the reservoir be less retentive to the contained, flowable therapeutic formulation than the characteristics of the materials which comprise the covering surrounding the reservoir. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the result will be to facilitate the release of the flowable therapeutic formulation from the storage reservoir to the outer surface of the device covering.
Therefore, there are at least two physical mechanisms for inducing flowable therapeutic formulation to move from the reservoir to the covering by means other than compression:
In general, the reservoir material should have a nominal contact angle greater than that of the covering material. Both materials could have wettable-contact angles, but with the reservoir material having a higher contact angle with the flowable therapeutic formulation than that of the covering material. Alternatively, the reservoir material could have a nominally repellant finish and a flowable-material-contact angle greater than about 90 degrees. Thus the reservoir would have a degree of repellency towards the flowable therapeutic formulation while the covering material has a nominally wettable finish and a flowable-material-contact angle less than about 90 degrees.
Having a phobic reservoir may impose special considerations on the package in which the device is stored. Such a reservoir may tend to compress the flowable therapeutic formulation in the device unless countered by pressure from the package and/or atmosphere. If there is air in the package, this may be exacerbated by high altitude/low pressure situations such as air freight. Thus, it may be desirable in some situations to exclude air from the package. In addition, if the internal surface of the package is strongly hydrophobic, that will reduce the amount of flowable formulation that is released from the device during storage. To ensure that the maximum amount of the flowable formulation is reserved for flow after vaginal insertion of the device, the device may include wicking fibers in the reservoir to insure that pores are well drained.
Reservoir and cover materials, and more specifically fiber surfaces, can be made hydrophobic by saturation with an adhesive non woven binder such as B.F. Goodrich Hycar 2600 X120 LRM and for which the level of hydrophobicity may be controlled by the addition of surfactants to the applied binder such as Aerosol OT. Cellulose fibers such as cotton, rayon and pulp may be made to be hydrophobic to a pre-determined degree by treatment with debonding agents such as quaternary ammonium compounds used in papermaking, by the use of fabric softener finishes, or by the addition of finishes designated as repellant and hydrophobic. Such materials have very high contact angles when wet with both aqueous and oily materials and can be used to assist flow from the reservoir for therapeutic materials containing both aqueous and oleophobic components. A fiber finish sold by Omnova Performance Chemicals of Chester, S.C. USA as Sequapel AFC creates a surface finish which is both hydrophobic and oleophobic. In addition to driving flowable therapeutic formulation from the reservoir, such a finish may also prevent adsorption of expensive therapeutic materials by the reservoir material. Milder levels of phobicity can be provided on reservoir materials by using Omnova Performance Chemicals Sequasoft 69, which provides a contact angle with water of about 60 degrees.
While not limiting the materials from which the components of this device can be manufactured, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that fibers are a convenient starting and illustrative material from which to construct devices of this invention. This is also exemplary of how other materials, such as porous foams, apertured films, and other macroporous and microporous materials might be beneficially incorporated.
For any given fiber material, there is a measurable and defined contact angle when it is wet by a flowable therapeutic formulation. Bleached cellulose fibers have a very low, essentially zero contact angle. On the other hand, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polytetrafluorethylene fibers have very high contact angles, between about 90 and about 180 degrees. Also, they are essentially repellent when the nature of the flowable therapeutic formulation is water-based. Polyester fibers are borderline wettable with water-based flowable therapeutic formulations with a contact angle around 90 degrees. Applying a finish to any one of these fibers can alter the contact angle of flowable therapeutic formulation in contact with them. Applying waxy or olefinic materials to the surface of intrinsically wettable fibers, such as bleached cotton, can render the surface less hydrophilic, which can be demonstrated by evidence of a higher contact angle. Conversely, an intrinsically non-wettable fiber can be made less repellent by the application of finish. It can also be made to be very wettable by the flowable therapeutic formulation (i.e., a lowering of the wetting contact angle to approach zero). For example, one phobic material that may be used with a therapeutic agent such as an aqueous anti-HIV formulation would be a quaternary ammonium fabric softener which imparts a mildly repellent character to a cellulose surface.
Covering layers such as 22, 24, may be formed of a suitable material such as woven material, nonwoven material made from staple or from continuous filaments, fiber mats, knit materials, apertured films, porous papers, or like materials. Apertured films may be produced by laser, heat or vacuum aperturing devices and are commercially available as diaper and feminine hygiene top sheets, sold by Pantex International and by Tredegar Film Products. For coverings manufactured by textile, paper, or nonwoven processes, rayon, cotton, polyesters biodegradable fibers, and traditional tampon fibers such as bleached cotton, bleached rayon, trilobal rayon, acetate, high and wet, modulous rayons, lycocell rayons, etc., generally having deniers at or below about 2.0 denier per filament are suitable. As discussed above, it is desirable that the covering material have a suitable pore structure, porosity, and surface character to facilitate driving the flowable therapeutic formulation containing therapeutic agent to the outside surface via capillary action.
In many applications of the invention, as discussed above, the primary mechanism that delivers the flowable therapeutic formulation from the reservoir to the outer surface of the device is the presence of capillary forces between the component layers comprising the device. Flow from the reservoir to the outer surface of the device is determined by the demand created at the device surface (i.e., by making the pore structure of the device's outer surface exhibit a greater capillary force on the flowable therapeutic formulation contained within the reservoir than the forces exerted upon the flowable therapeutic formulation by the materials comprising the reservoir and attempting to retain it within the reservoir).
In the embodiments of
A device such as illustrated in
The reservoir of the device takes the form of an open, structured material with interconnected internal spaces (“pores”). The mean pore size diameter as determined by a porosimeter is in the range from about 100 microns to about 2000 microns, with a mean pore size in the range from about 200 to about 1500 microns being preferred. The reservoir material has a material-surface-contact angle with the flowable therapeutic formulation between about 20 degrees and about 60 degrees. The thickness of the reservoir is in the range from about one quarter inch to about one inch, with an average thickness of about ⅜ inch being preferred for this Example.
A compatible covering for enveloping the above reservoir is formed of a hydroentangled and fibrillated Lyocell rayon non-woven material having a basis weight in the range from about 20 to about 60 grams per square meter, a thickness between about 10 and about 40 thousandths of an inch, and, a contact angle with the flowable therapeutic formulation in the range of about 0 to about 25 degrees. The mean pore size diameter of the covering material is in the range from about 20 microns to about 150 microns, with a preferred pore size diameter between about 40 microns to about 80 microns for this Example.
A suitable covering material matching the above characteristics is manufactured by DuPont as a 24 mesh spun-lace fabric, Style 8654, weighing 1.45 ounces per square yard (49 grams per square meter) and composed of 100% Lyocell fiber. Alternatively, one could use a similar DuPont non-woven fabric, Style 8423 weighing 2.30 ounces per square yard (78 grams per square meter) and composed of 70% rayon and 30% polyester fiber.
The overall diameter of the device may be about one to about three inches.
A structure as described immediately above can contain from about 3 ml to about 25 ml of flowable therapeutic formulation.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the design parameters for the reservoir and covering materials of the embodiments of the present invention may include:
The selection of reservoir and cover materials may be dictated by the availability of material, material costs, manufacturing costs, the unique properties of the flowable therapeutic formulation and by manufacturing restrictions. In this regard, bleached cotton knit or woven fabrics may be a suitable choice for the cover. Alternatively, a high speed manufacturing operation may require the availability of covering and reservoir materials which can be heat sealed and/or die cut. Suitable heat sealable covering materials include those which are biodegradable, have low contact angles with water, and which wet and store water-based fluids, and are available for example as tea bag material, manufactured in various weights and porosities by, for example, Ahlstrom Corporation, Fiber Composites Division, Windsor Locks, Conn. Such products are generally available for use with different and adjustable types of heat sealing resins.
Reservoirs, as previously described, may be created from structures that are thermoplastic such that the application of heat and pressure will create a perimeter seal. Thermoplastic materials in fiber or other porous form such as polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane and polyethylene resins and blends thereof may be used to create reservoirs with this kind of perimeter seal, as can many reticulated foams or interconnected fibers. Additionally, polyvinyl acetal foams, already used in medical absorbency products, may be modified in mean cell pore size and surface wetting characteristics to create a suitable reservoir.
Where it is necessary to deliver higher total volumes of the therapeutic agent, the reservoir and covering materials may generally be formed so that the reservoir has a flowable therapeutic formulation holding capacity of between about 3 grams and about 30 grams of fluid per gram of material, and the covering has a flowable therapeutic formulation holding capacity of between about 2 grams and about 5 grams of fluid per gram of material. In a fibrous reservoir, the void volume can be maintained by the use of a proportion of bicomponent heat bonding fibers which, when heated in situ, create stable and somewhat compression resistant pores.
The nature of the therapeutic formulation may take the form of a simple gel similar to KY jelly, a flowable phase agent, a semi-solid material, a breakable emulsion, a rheopectic gel, or other suitable flowable form which can be contained within the structure of the reservoir and driven to the outside surface of the covering as described herein.
As discussed above, the external surface characteristics of the insertable device are designed for ease of insertion and comfort of the user, particularly with respect to prewetting of the surface of the device prior to insertion. In this regard, it has been found that the covering of the device can be symmetrical about the reservoir or it may be asymmetrical. For an asymmetrical covering, the outer material on the cervical side may be chosen to be easily wet and/or non-abrasive and easy to insert with a finger, i.e., no need for traditional piston-type applicators that are used with most tampons. Where desired, a lubricating agent may be utilized to facilitate insertion. Lubricating agents for mucosal surfaces are well known to those skilled in the art, and include but are not limited to glycerin, propylene glycol, dimethicone copolyol, and various mixtures thereof.
While the therapeutic agent is generally applied directly to the reservoir of the device, some pretreatment of layers can be used to aid in later dispersion of the agent. These pretreatment agents, while not limited to the following, may include pre-wetting the reservoir fibers using de-ionized water so that more of the therapeutic agent can be physically free and only held in by the pore structure of the reservoir. Further, the reservoir may have outer layers that are biofilms designed so that the environment of the vagina decomposes these films, and the active agent is dispersed immediately or on a timed or sustained release schedule.
As part of a low cost manufacturing process, the therapeutic formulation may be applied into or onto the device after the device has been individually packaged, but before the package is sealed. Most flowable therapeutic formulations will then diffuse throughout the device over a period of hours or days after the package is sealed.
A standard flowable therapeutic formulation of the type which may be used was used to measure the migration of an agent, such as sodium chloride, in a gel placed within the device reservoir, through the covering, and into deionized water. A series of circular devices were constructed by sewing a woven bleached cotton fabric covering around a high loft polyester fiberfill reservoir. The reservoir material for this prototype device was 100% new polyester material, high-loft batting, ½ inch thick, TX 13, made by Carpenter Company, Tyler, Tex. A formulation of 0.9% sodium chloride in KY Jelly (Personal Products Company, Skillman, N.J.), which contains purified water, glycerin, hydroxyethylcellulose, chlorhexidine gluconate, gluconolactone and methylparaben, was prepared. In addition to the simple addition of sodium chloride to KY Jelly, two less viscous formulations were prepared by diluting the KY Jelly 1 to 1 and 1 to 3 with purified water. These flowable formulations were injected into the device reservoir.
Preliminary work on agent migration characteristics was done by positioning each device about 10 centimeters below the surface of an agitated deionized water bath at 37° C. This water bath testing was done using standard pharmaceutical dissolution methods, as described in USP 28, section 711, “Dissolution.”
Migration of saline from the device was measured by monitoring the increase in conductivity of the bath. Data (
In a second experiment, using a basket dissolution apparatus (USP 28, section 711, “Dissolution”) in order to contain a simple gel formulation, the diffusion of sodium chloride from KY Jelly, was compared with its diffusion from 100% KY Jelly and a 25% KY Jelly formulation, both contained within the same device described above in connection with
The methods described above and the data in
Typical flowable therapeutic formulation examples suitable for this device are as follows:
Numerous microbicides have been developed or are under investigation for potential human use for HIV prevention and are described in numerous scientific publications. For example, tenofovir has been developed as a 1% vaginal gel for prevention of sexual transmission of HIV.
Representative Antifungal Formulation: The addition of therapeutic agents such as of 1% Tioconazole, 1% Butaconazole, or 1% Flucanazole to a flowable-material formulation provides a device capable of dispersing antifungal material to vaginal tissue.
Representative Spermicidal Formulation: As an example, the addition of 0.95% nonoxynol-9 to a formulation yields a flowable therapeutic formulation which will dispense from the device and provide spermicidal properties to the vaginal fluids. Since N-9 has been shown to increase the risk of HIV infection, there is an active search for topical contraceptive agents for vaginal use, recently reviewed by Hughes et al (Hughes, L. M.; Griffith, R., and Aitken, R. J. The search for a topical dual action spermicide/microbicide. Curr Med Chem. 2007; 14(7):775-86.)
Device Insertion: As described above, digital insertion of the device may be facilitated through the use of one or more finger pockets or cut openings, such as pocket 39 illustrated in
Also as noted previously, the device may be inserted using an inserter device similar or identical to commonly used piston-type cylindrical inserters that are used for tampons. However, while tampons are generally compressed within a cylindrical inserter device, and tampons expand substantially upon wetting, this invention is pre-wetted and would preferably be packaged in a fully wetted state, with minimal or no compression within the inserter device.
Male Version: Devices of this invention could also be designed to be inserted by being placed on the tip of a man's penis. Preferred embodiments for this method of insertion would be similar to the devices described above that have finger pockets, as shown in
The recent scientific literature suggests that the width of the tip of the erect penis is about 3.5 cm with a range of between about 2.6 to 4.5 cm, and a circumference of about 9.5 cm +/−1.5 cm. A device to fit on the tip of the penis of most men would thus require a finger pocket with an opening between about 5.0 cm and about 6.5 cm wide, dimension 1265 in
During insertion of the male device, some of the flowable formulation would be left on the vulva because of the pressure of insertion through the introitus on the sides of the penis and the device. The amount released at the introitis would depend partly on the viscosity of the formulation. Leaving some of the flowable formulation is desirable in order to prevent infection of the vulvar and introital surfaces. Too avoid leaving too much of the flowable formulation at the introitus or on the vulva, the device can be made with an extra fold or ridge in the material which could be made parallel to dimension 1250w, and near the middle of the device. Such a fold or ridge would act to collect flowable formulation squeezed out of the leading portion of the device during insertion, and would provide some protection against lateral pressures for the formulation in the immediately following part of the device.
Device Removal: Devices of this invention preferably include a removal cord or tape, longer than the cord associated with a typical tampon. The longer cord is used to prevent displacement or loss of the cord in the vagina during sexual intercourse. In certain embodiments, the cord may be placed between the outer layers of the device and bonded to the reservoir in a sealing process that is known to those skilled in the art. As discussed above, devices of the invention may also be formed without a removal cord.
For the development of the device with a particular therapeutic agent, several features of the design, such as fiber type or fiber derivatization, may be optimized to assure efficient vaginal delivery and to ensure that the therapeutic agent is compatible with the device, such that no adsorption onto the device occurs. The key mechanisms utilized to deliver a therapeutic agent such as a microbicide from the device into the vagina are 1) movement of the gel driven by the relatively hydrophobic core and the attraction of the relatively hydrophilic outer layer and 2) diffusion of the active ingredient.
For low molecular weight, water-soluble agents, both mechanisms, i.e. gel movement and diffusion, will serve to deliver the agent. Since low-cost bleached cellulosic fibers are commonly hydrophilic, a hydrophobic inner core composed of cellulosic fiber can be formed by chemically modifying the fiber surfaces, or by using unscoured washed cotton.
As the molecular size of the active ingredient increases, gel movement out of the device will be more important with regard to delivery. If the therapeutic agent is hydrophobic, which could potentially cause the agent to adsorb onto the fiber surfaces of a relatively hydrophobic core, the degree of hydrophobicity or oleophobicity of the core and outer layer can be readily adjusted by the use of various fiber coating processes known to those skilled in the art. Thus the level of core hydrophobicity may be altered to promote delivery. The level of hydrophobicity or oleophobicity of the materials used in the device may be characterized with contact angle measurements (1), water repellency tests (2), or by various infrared spectroscopy techniques (3).
While the present invention has been described in connection with certain illustrated embodiments, it will be appreciated that modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/454,604, filed Jun. 16, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
The invention claimed herein was made under U.S. Agency for International Development, Cooperative Agreements #: CCP-A-00-95-00022-02 and GPO-A-00-05-00022-00, and the U.S. government has certain rights therein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11454604 | Jun 2006 | US |
| Child | 11763085 | US |
