Blister pack and inhaler comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11524128-B2
Application number	US-202117366906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a blister pack for a dry powder inhaler configured to deliver a first powder medicament and a second powder medicament different from the first powder medicament. The first and second powder medicaments are contained within blister pockets defined in a strip. A series of blister pockets is defined in the strip, which series extends linearly along the length of the strip. The first and second powder medicaments are contained in blister pockets of the series. Alternatively or additionally, each of the blister pockets is elongated such as to have a largest dimension parallel with the length of the strip. These measures, either individually or in combination, enable minimizing of the width of the strip in spite of the strip accommodating both the first and second powder medicaments.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dry powder inhaler configured to deliver a first powder medicament and a second powder medicament different from the first powder medicament, the dry powder inhaler comprising:
a blister pack; and
a medicament delivery assembly,
wherein the blister pack comprises:
a strip in which blister pockets are defined, said first and second powder medicaments being contained within the blister pockets, wherein a series of blister pockets is defined in the strip, the series extending linearly along a length of the strip,
wherein the first and second powder medicaments are respectively contained in consecutive blister pockets of the series, such that the blister pockets containing the first powder medicament alternate with and are discrete from the blister pockets containing the second powder medicament along the length of the strip,
wherein the blister pack further comprises a peelable cover for covering the blister pockets, wherein the blister pockets are defined in a base layer, and wherein the peelable cover is releasably adhered to the base layer between the blister pockets, and wherein the medicament delivery assembly is configured to:
access the blister pockets and permit a subject to inhale the first and second powder medicaments therefrom,
wherein the medicament delivery assembly is configured to permit the subject to inhale the first and second powder medicaments simultaneously, the medicament delivery assembly being configured to access consecutive blister pockets for each inhalation using the inhaler,
wherein the medicament delivery assembly comprises a peeling mechanism configured to peel the cover covering a pair of consecutive blister pockets thereby to expose the first and second powder medicaments for each inhalation using the inhaler,
wherein both blister pockets in the pair of consecutive blister pockets are transected by a first axis along the length of the strip and by a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

2. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein the blister pockets containing the first powder medicament and the blister pockets containing the second powder medicament are integrally formed in the strip.

3. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein the blister pockets are substantially triangular when the strip is viewed in plan.

4. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 3 , wherein the blister pockets are substantially triangular in shape.

5. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , further comprising a mouthpiece, wherein the medicament delivery assembly comprises a manifold configured such that the first and second powder medicaments from the accessed consecutive blister pockets are drawn simultaneously therethrough and out of the mouthpiece when the subject inhales through the mouthpiece.

6. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 5 , wherein the manifold comprises a first flow path along which the first powder medicament is carried towards the mouthpiece from one of the accessed consecutive blister pockets, and a second flow path along which the second powder medicament is carried towards the mouthpiece from the other of the accessed consecutive blister pockets.

7. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein the medicament delivery assembly is configured to advance the strip by pulling or by pushing the strip.

8. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first powder medicament comprises budesonide and the second powder medicament comprises formoterol; or
the first powder medicament comprises beclomethasone and the second powder medicament comprises formoterol; or
the first powder medicament comprises fluticasone and the second powder medicament comprises salmeterol, or
the first powder medicament comprises fluticasone and the second powder medicament comprises albuterol, or
the first powder medicament comprises fluticasone and the second powder medicament comprises vilanterol, or
the first powder medicament comprises umeclidinium and the second powder medicament comprises vilanterol, or
the first powder medicament comprises two selected from umeclidinium, fluticasone and vilanterol, and the second powder medicament comprises the remaining medicament from umeclidinium, fluticasone and vilanterol not selected for the first powder medicament.

9. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first powder medicament comprises fluticasone furoate and the second powder medicament comprises vilanterol trifenatate, or
the first powder medicament comprises umeclidinium bromide and the second powder medicament comprises vilanterol trifenatate, or
the first powder medicament comprises two selected from umeclidinium bromide, fluticasone furoate and vilanterol trifenatate, and the second powder medicament comprises the remaining medicament from umeclidinium bromide, fluticasone furoate and vilanterol trifenatate not selected for the first powder medicament.

10. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein each blister pocket in the pair of consecutive blister pockets includes a shape in a plan view that includes at least one linear edge.

11. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one linear edge of adjacent pockets in the pair of consecutive blister pockets are oriented parallel to one another.

12. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one linear edge of adjacent pockets of the pair of consecutive blister pockets are disposed along the strip at an angle such that the at least one linear edge is neither parallel nor perpendicular to either of the first axis or the second axis.

13. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein each blister pocket in the pair of consecutive blister pockets define substantially the same volume.

14. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein each blister pocket in the pair of consecutive blister pockets has a dimensional extent parallel with a width of the strip that varies along the first axis.

15. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 14 , wherein the dimensional extent of one of the blister pockets in each pair of blister pockets increases along the first axis and the dimensional extent of the other blister pocket in each pair of blister pockets decreases along a length direction of the first axis.

16. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 15 , wherein along the first axis, the dimensional extent in a width direction of the width of the strip of one of the blister pockets in the pair of blister pockets increases and the dimensional extent in the width direction of the width of the strip of the other of the blister pockets in the pair of blister pockets decreases.

17. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein consecutive pairs of blister pockets along the strip are each transected by the first axis and each blister pocket in consecutive pairs of blister pockets are transected by a respective second axis, each respective second axis being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the first axis.

18. The dry powder inhaler according to claim 1 , wherein, for each said consecutive pair of blister pockets, the pocket containing the first powder medicament and the pocket containing the second powder medicament overlap each other along the first axis.

Assignees

• Norton Waterford Ltd

Inventors

• Crowley Peter John
• Hazenberg Jan Geert
• Buck Daniel
• Edlin Christopher David
• Shah Hardik Kirtikumar

Classifications

• A61M15/0025

  with caps · CPC title

• A61M15/0051 Primary

  the dosages being arranged on a tape, e.g. strips · CPC title

• A61M2202/064

  Powder · CPC title

• A61M15/0055

  the used dosages being coiled · CPC title

• A61M15/0071

  having a display or indicator · CPC title