The present disclosure relates to drug delivery/infusion devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to devices mounted to the body for automatically delivering a drug to a patient.
Delivery of liquid drugs to a patient via injection using a needle or syringe is well-known. More recently, devices that automate the delivery of liquid drugs have been introduced. These devices (which are commonly referred to as “on-body devices” or “on-body injectors”) are mounted or otherwise secured to the body of the patient (e.g., to the arm or abdomen) and remain in place for an extended amount of time (on the order of hours or days), injecting an amount of the drug into the body of the patient at one or more scheduled times. For example, a device may be configured to deliver a drug over the span of 45 minutes, with delivery beginning 27 hours after the device has been activated and applied to a patient (to ensure that the drug is not delivered sooner than 24 hours after a medical procedure or treatment). These devices improve upon manual methods by obviating the need for the patient to inject themselves with the drug (which carries heightened risks of the patient improperly administering the injection or injecting the drug at an inappropriate time) or to return to a medical facility for one or more injections by a technician or medical professional.
One known on-body device 10 is shown in
The internal components of the device 10 include a reservoir 14 that is configured to be filled with a liquid drug to be delivered to the patient. An upper surface of the housing 12 includes a fill indicator 16 that provides a visual indication of the amount of fluid in the reservoir 14. In addition to the fill indicator 16, the upper surface of the housing 12 may include printed information, such as information regarding the drug to be delivered. The upper surface of the housing 12 may be formed of a translucent material, which allows light from a status light 18 (which may be configured as a light-emitting diode) mounted within the housing 12 (
The drug is injected into the reservoir 14 using a (typically pre-filled) syringe 22 via a port 24 incorporated into the bottom or underside of the housing 12 (
A piston or plunger 28 (
When the device 10 has been activated, it is mounted or secured to the body of the patient. The applicator 26 is first removed from the underside of the housing 12 and discarded, followed by a pull tab 30 being manipulated to remove a release film from an adhesive pad 32 associated with the underside of the housing 12. The housing 12 is then pressed against the body of the patient, with the adhesive pad 32 facing the body. An adhesive present on the adhesive pad 32 causes the adhesive pad 32 (and, hence, the housing 12) to adhere to the body.
Some predetermined time after the device 10 has been activated (which may be on the order of three to five minutes, for example), a distal end portion of a cannula 34 is introduced into the skin of the patient via a cannula window 36 defined in the housing 12 (
As the cannula 34 is not itself configured to pierce the skin, an associated needle 38 is provided within the lumen of the cannula 34, with a sharp or beveled distal end of the needle 38 extending out of a distal end of the cannula 34. A midsection of the needle 38 is mounted within a needle carriage 40, while a proximal end 42 of the cannula 34 is mounted within a cannula carriage 44 that is initially positioned directly adjacent to the needle carriage 40. The needle carriage 40 is pivotally connected to an end of a linkage or crank arm 46, with an opposite end of the linkage 46 being associated with a torsion spring 48. At the designated time (e.g., 3-5 minutes after the device 10 has been activated), the controller causes a lever (not visible) to be released, which allows the spring 48 to recoil, in turn rotating the linkage 46, which rotation causes the needle carriage 40 to move along a linear track 50 from a first position adjacent to the spring 48 (
Continued recoiling of the spring 48 causes further rotation of the linkage 46, which has the effect of moving the needle carriage 40 back toward the spring 48 (i.e., back toward its first position). Rather than moving along with the needle carriage 40, the cannula carriage 44 is held in its second position (
Movement of the needle carriage 40 in a proximal direction away from the cannula carriage 44 causes the needle 38 to partially (but not fully) retract from the cannula 34. In the final condition shown in
As for the mechanism by which the drug is advanced out of the reservoir 14, the device 10 includes a lever 54 mounted to a pivot point 56 (
A first wire or filament 72 extends from the lever 54, around a first pulley 74, and into association with a first electrical contact 76. A second wire or filament 78 extends from the lever 54 in the opposite direction of the first wire 72, around a second pulley 80, and into association with a second electrical contact 82. The wires 72 and 78 (which are commonly referred to as “muscle wires”) are formed of a shape memory alloy (e.g., Nitinol), which causes them to heat up and contract when a current flows through them, while being allowed to stretch when the current is removed and the wire 72, 78 cools. Current is alternately applied to the two wires 72 and 78, causing the one carrying a current to heat up and contract while the other one is allowed to stretch. The wire 72, 78 that contacts will pull on the lever 54, causing it to pivot about the pivot point 56. Thus, alternately applying current to the two wires 72 and 78 will cause the wires 72 and 78 to alternately contact and stretch, which in turn causes the lever 54 to pivot back and forth about the pivot point 56.
At the designated time (e.g., 27 hours after the device 10 has been activated), the controller provides commands that cause current to be alternately applied to the muscle wires 72 and 78, which causes the lever 54 to alternately pivot about the pivot point 56 in opposite first and second directions. Pivotal movement of the lever 54 in the first direction will cause the first arm 58 of the lever 54 to engage and rotate the first gear 60 an incremental amount, while pivotal movement of the lever 54 in the second direction will cause the second arm 62 of the lever 54 to engage and rotate the second gear 64 an incremental amount (in the same direction in which the first gear 60 is rotated by the first arm 58). Both gears 60 and 64 are associated with a common shaft 84 (which is shown in
After the drug has been delivered (e.g., over the course of a 45-minute session), the controller alerts the patient via a visual cue from the status light 18 and/or an audible cue from the buzzer that drug delivery is complete. Subsequently, the patient removes the device 10 from their skin and discards the device 10.
While devices of the type described above have proven adequate, there is room for improvement of them. For example, it is important to ensure that the sterility of the system has been maintained, and that sterility has not been compromised due to, e.g., prior use. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide medical infusion devices with systems that prevent use of the infusion device if sterility has been compromised and alert the healthcare professional and/or patient of the non-sterile condition.
There are several aspects of the present subject matter which may be embodied separately or together in the devices and systems described and claimed below. These aspects may be employed alone or in combination with other aspects of the subject matter described herein, and the description of these aspects together is not intended to preclude the use of these aspects separately or the claiming of such aspects separately or in different combinations as set forth in the claims appended hereto.
In a first aspect, an on-body drug delivery device is provided that comprises a housing and a cartridge removably attachable to the housing. The cartridge further comprises a fillable drug chamber, a piston received in the drug chamber movable between a first, initial position and a second position, an actuation device for moving the piston between the first position and the second position, and at least one breakable sterility sensor circuit formed by attachment of the cartridge to the housing, the circuit being closed when the cartridge is properly attached to the housing and broken if the cartridge is not properly attached to the housing or removed from the housing after being attached thereto; and/or the circuit being broken if the piston is not in the initial position when the cartridge is first attached to the housing.
In a second aspect, the piston further comprises one or more contact points that close the sterility sensor circuit when the piston is in the initial position.
In a third aspect, the drug delivery device comprises a lock actuated when the sterility circuit is broken to prevent operation of the drug delivery device.
In a fourth aspect, the drug delivery device is further configured to cause a signal to be emitted if the sterility sensor circuit is broken.
In a fifth aspect, the signal is one or more of a tactile signal, an audible signal or a visual signal that is emitted by the drug delivery device.
In a sixth aspect, the device is configured to cause the signal to be emitted by a separate device, such as a cell phone.
These and other aspects of the present subject matter are set forth in the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments disclosed herein are for the purpose of providing a description of the present subject matter, and it is understood that the subject matter may be embodied in various other forms and combinations not shown in detail. Therefore, specific designs and features disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting the subject matter as defined in the accompanying claims.
The methods and devices described herein may be used to deliver any suitable fluid medication to a subject. In an exemplary embodiment, the methods and devices described herein are used to deliver pegfilgrastim to a subject, though other exemplary medications include (without limitation) one or more of the following: adalimumab, rituximab, risankizumab, etanercept, trastuzumab, ado-trastuzumab emtansine, trastuzumab deruxtecan, bevacizumab, infliximab, pegfilgrastim, filgrastim, tocilizumab, golimumab, interferon beta-1a, ranibizumab, denosumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, aflibercept, eculizumab, ocrelizumab, pertuzumab, secukinumab, omalizumab, ustekinumab, vedolizumab, daratumumab, dupilumab, atezolizumab, natalizumab, bortezomib, ipilimumab, durvalumab, emicizumab, palivizumab, guselkumab, mepolizumab, panitumumab, ramucirumab, belimumab, abatacept, certolizumab pegol, ixekizumab, romiplostim, benralizumab, evolocumab, canakinumab, obinutuzumab, cetuximab, erenumab, blinatumomab, romosozumab, mirikizumab, inotuzumab, sacituzumab govitecan, enfortumab vedotin, brentuximab vedotin.
In keeping with the present disclosure, and with reference to
The cartridge further comprises a pre-filled drug chamber/reservoir 14, a piston/plunger 28, and a structure for pressurizing the drug held within the chamber for delivery to the patient. As illustrated in
A mechanically- or electrically-actuated valve in the main body (not seen) serves to start, stop, and otherwise regulate flow of the drug from the infuser. The removable cartridge 92 is coupled to the main body 90 by means of, e.g., a spring-loaded latch 98 that may be locked out during infusion to prevent premature removal.
With a cartridge-based system such as that disclosed in
In a first example, and with reference to
In one embodiment, the circuit 102 is flexible and printed on or otherwise associated to a tearable substrate, optionally including perforations. In one particular embodiment, the circuit 102 may be defined by conductive ink printed on a paper or plastic label. An exemplary circuit 102 is shown in
As for the contact points 100 (which are also shown in
When the circuit of the cartridge is closed or unbroken (as in
In another embodiment, and with reference to
More particularly, in the embodiment of
As can be seen in
In a third example, and with reference to
While
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the infusion device 10 may be provided with a locking system that prevents operation of/deactivates the device if, when a cartridge is attached to the main body, any circuits, such as those described above, are broken. The device would remain inoperable/deactivated until a cartridge with intact circuits is properly attached to the main body. The locking system may be electronic, so that, e.g., upon detection of the attachment to the main body of a cartridge with a broken circuit, the device would not begin any infusion steps. Alternatively, the broken circuits may simply be indicators of the loss of sterility that get checked for continuity by the device, in which case the device would be capable of all functions. Under such circumstances, the controller would assess the state of the circuit(s), and raise a warning and/or move to an error state upon finding a lack of continuity.
Alternatively, the locking system could be in the form of a mechanical lock that, when actuated, blocks movement of a component of the device that is moved during operation. By way of example, and with reference to
Upon triggering of the locking system, an alert may also be provided to the healthcare provider and/or the patient by, e.g., the infusion device providing a tactile, visual and/or audible signal, or by providing notification on, e.g., a cell phone through an app connecting the infusion device to the cell phone.
It will be understood that the embodiments and examples described above are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present subject matter. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter, including those combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein. For these reasons, the scope hereof is not limited to the above description but is as set forth in the following claims, and it is understood that claims may be directed to the features hereof, including as combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein.
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