Drug delivery device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10195357-B2
Application number	US-201414905390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2014
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A drug delivery device for selecting and dispensing a number of user variable doses of a medicament includes a dose limiter for preventing the setting of a dose exceeding an amount of liquid left in a cartridge of the drug delivery device. The device includes a housing, a dose selector for selecting a dose by rotation relative to the housing, a dosing element, and a releasable clutch for rotationally coupling the dosing element to the dose selector during dose selecting and for rotationally decoupling the dosing element from the dose selector during dose dispensing. The clutch includes a male spline, a corresponding female spline and a curved or inclined surface which is orientated such that re-engagement of the clutch guides the male spline into a predefined rotational orientation with respect to the female spline.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drug delivery device for selecting and dispensing a number of user variable doses of a medicament, the drug delivery device comprising:
a housing defining a longitudinal axis;
a dose selector for selecting a dose by rotation of the dose selector relative to the housing;
a dosing element; and
a releasable clutch configured to rotationally couple the dosing element to the dose selector during dose selecting and to rotationally decouple the dosing element from the dose selector during dose dispensing,
wherein the clutch comprises at least one male spline, at least one corresponding female spline and at least one curved or inclined surface oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis such that re-engagement of the clutch guides the at least one male spline into a predefined rotational orientation with respect to the at least one female spline.

2. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the surface is a helical surface.

3. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one male spline or the at least one female spline is tapered or wedge-shaped.

4. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one male spline and the at least one female spline extend parallel to the longitudinal axis.

5. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the housing and the dose selector each has a non-circular cross-section at least in a region where the housing abuts the dose selector.

6. The drug delivery device of claim 5 , wherein the non-circular cross section of the housing corresponds to the non-circular cross-section of the dose selector at least in a region where the housing abuts the dose selector.

7. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , wherein during the dose dispensing the dosing element rotates relative to the dose selector, and at an end of the dose dispensing the dosing element is in a predefined rotational orientation relative to the housing.

8. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cartridge holder for retaining a cartridge containing the medicament;
a piston rod displaceable relative to the cartridge holder; and
a driver coupled to the piston rod and at least one clutch,
wherein the clutch is configured to decouple the driver and the dosing element during the dose selecting and to couple the driver and the dosing element during the dose dispensing.

9. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising a spring configured to drive the dosing element during the dose dispensing.

10. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising a display for indicating the selected dose, wherein the display comprises at least one belt having symbols for indicating the selected dose and being coupled to the dosing element such that rotation of the dosing element spools the belt.

11. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising a dose limiter configured to inhibit the selected dose from exceeding an amount of liquid left in a cartridge of the drug delivery device.

12. The drug delivery device of claim 11 , wherein the dose limiter comprises:
a last dose nut coupled to the dosing element during the dose selecting such that rotation of the dosing element causes an axial movement of the last dose nut, and
a stop element configured to block further movement of the last dose nut if the selected dose corresponds to the amount of liquid left in the cartridge.

13. The drug delivery device of claim 12 , wherein the dose limiter further comprises a last dose sleeve rotationally coupled to the dosing element during dose selecting and rotationally de-coupled from the dosing element during dose dispensing, and wherein the last dose nut is coupled to the dosing element by the last dose sleeve.

14. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising a nut with rotational hard stops wherein the dosing element comprises corresponding rotational stops interacting with the rotational hard stops of the nut for limiting axial movement of the nut.

15. The drug delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising a cartridge containing the medicament.

16. A method of operating a drug delivery device, the method comprising:
setting a dose of a medicament by rotating a dose selector rotationally coupled to a dosing element;
pressing a button to dispense at least a portion of the dose of the medicament and to rotationally decouple the dose selector from the dosing element; and
releasing the button such that the dosing element contacts the dose selector, whereby the dosing element rotates into a predefined rotational orientation with respect to the dose selector.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein releasing the button causes a spline of the dosing element to contact a spline of the dose selector such that the dosing element is guided to the predefined rotational orientation with respect to the dose selector.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein setting the dose of the medicament comprises rotating the dose selector when the spline of the dosing element is engaged with the spline of the dose selector such that rotation of the dose selector causes rotation of the dosing element.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein releasing the button causes the dosing element to rotate into the predefined rotational orientation with respect to the dose selector to rotationally couple the dosing element with the dose selector.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein pressing the button comprises releasing a spring to rotate the dosing element.

Assignees

• Sanofi Sa

Inventors

• Oakley Tom
• Hewson Karl
• Milne Stuart
• Pawulski Mark

Classifications

• A61M5/31593

  Multi-dose, i.e. individually set dose repeatedly administered from the same medicament reservoir · CPC title

• A61M5/31528

  by means of rotational movements, e.g. screw-thread mechanisms · CPC title

• A61M5/31553

  without axial movement of dose setting member · CPC title

• A61M5/3155 Primary

  by rotational movement of dose setting member, e.g. during setting or filling of a syringe · CPC title

• A61M2005/3126

  Specific display means related to dosing · CPC title