6112results about "Pharmaceutical containers" patented technology

A medical device having a contact surface exposed repeatedly to bodily tissue is disclosed. The contact surface is coated with a silicone polymer and one or more non-silicone hydrophobic polymers. The preferred medical device is a surgical needle, and the preferred coating is a polydimethylsiloxane and polypropylene wax hydrocarbon mixture. The incorporation of the non-silicone hydrophobic polymer increases the durability of the coating on the device without sacrificing lubricity.

This invention provides devices and methods for mixing and extruding compositions which are medically and non-medically useful. The devices are particularly useful for mixing substances which are relatively inert when alone but become reactive when mixed. A common feature of all of the devices is that they allow the user to mix and ultimately extrude a composition from a single device which includes a single container or multiple interconnected containers.

Compositions and methods for coating medical devices with pharmaceutical agents and devices coated with the compositions. The coated devices provide controlled or sustained release of pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of wounds or disease.

Described here are embodiments of processes and systems for the continuous manufacturing of implantable continuous analyte sensors. In some embodiments, a method is provided for sequentially advancing an elongated conductive body through a plurality of stations, each configured to treat the elongated conductive body. In some of these embodiments, one or more of the stations is configured to coat the elongated conductive body using a meniscus coating process, whereby a solution formed of a polymer and a solvent is prepared, the solution is continuously circulated to provide a meniscus on a top portion of a vessel holding the solution, and the elongated conductive body is advanced through the meniscus. The method may also comprise the step of removing excess coating material from the elongated conductive body by advancing the elongated conductive body through a die orifice. For example, a provided elongated conductive body 510 is advanced through a pre-coating treatment station 520, through a coating station 530, through a thickness control station 540, through a drying or curing station 550, through a thickness measurement station 560, and through a post-coating treatment station 570.

A medical device (10) includes a structure (12) adapted for introduction into a patient, the structure (12) being formed of a preferably non-porous base material (14) having a roughened or textured surface (16). The structure (12) is conveniently configured as a vascular stent with a base material (14) of stainless steel, nitinol or another suitable material. The medical device (10) also includes a layer (18) of a bioactive material posited directly upon the roughened or textured surface (16) of the base material (14) of the structure (12). The surface (16) of the base material (14) is roughened or textured by etching or by abrasion with sodium bicarbonate or another suitable grit. A preferred roughened or textured surface (16) is thought to have a mean surface roughness of about 10 μin. (about 250 nm) and a surface roughness range between about 1 μin. and about 100 μin. (about 25 nm and about 2.5 μm). The particularly preferred use of sodium bicarbonate as the abrasive to provide roughness or texture to the surface (16) of the base material (14) of the structure (12) is additionally advantageous in the low toxicity of the sodium bicarbonate to production workers, the ease of product and waste cleanup, and the biocompatibility of any residual sodium bicarbonate.

A packaging system providing for sterile enclosure of devices including medical devices and systems such as delivery systems is described. The packaging system is comprised of a primary chamber and includes at least one vent or opening covered by a barrier.

The present invention provides an improved LbL-coating process for modifying the surface of a medical device, preferably an ophthalmic device, more preferably a contact lens. An LbL coating on a contact lens, which is prepared according to the process of the invention, can have increased hydrophilicity characterized by an averaged contact angle of about 80 degree or less, preferably about 50 degrees or less, while maintaining the desired bulk properties such as oxygen permeability and ion permeability of lens material.

Disclosed are implantable or insertable medical devices that provide resistance to microbial growth on and in the environment of the device and resistance to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation on the device. In particular, the invention discloses implantable or insertable medical devices that comprise at least one biocompatible matrix polymer region, an antimicrobial agent for providing resistance to microbial growth and a microbial adhesion/biofilm synthesis inhibitor for inhibiting the attachment of microbes and the synthesis and accumulation of biofilm on the surface of the medical device. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing such devices under conditions that substantially prevent preferential partitioning of any of said bioactive agents to a surface of the biocompatible matrix polymer and substantially prevent chemical modification of said bioactive agents.

Biocompatible crosslinked polymers, and methods for their preparation and use with minimally invasive surgery applicators are disclosed. The disclosure includes compositions and methods for in situ formation of hydrogels using minimally invasive surgical techniques.

A delivery device includes a durable housing portion and a separable disposable portion that selectively engage and disengage from each other. The disposable housing portion secures to the patient-user and may be disposed of after it has been in use for a prescribed period. Components that normally come into contact with a patient-user or with infusion medium are supported by the disposable housing portion, while the durable housing portion supports other components such as electronics and a drive device. A reservoir is supported by the disposable housing portion and has a moveable plunger that operatively couples to the drive device, when the disposable and durable housing portions are engaged.

Antimicrobial compositions, especially those useful when applied topically, particularly to mucosal tissues (i.e., mucous membranes), including a cationic antiseptic such as biguanides and bisbiguanides such as chlorhexidine and its various salts including but not limited to the digluconate, diacetate, dimethosulfate, and dilactate salts; polymeric quaternary ammonium compounds such as polyhexamethylenebiguanide; silver and various silver complexes; small molecule quaternary ammonium compounds such as benzalkoium chloride and alkyl substituted derivatives; di-long chain alkyl (C8-C18) quaternary ammonium compounds; cetylpyridinium halides and their derivatives; benzethonium chloride and its alkyl substituted derivatives; and octenidine. The compositions can also include an enhancer component, a surfactant, a hydrophobic component, and/or a hydrophilic component. Such compositions provide effective topical antimicrobial activity and are accordingly useful in the treatment and/or prevention of conditions that are caused, or aggravated by, microorganisms (including viruses).

Methods for preparing articles having a bioactive surface comprising treating a substrate to form free reactive groups, depositing a monomer onto the treated substrate, and covalently immobilizing a biologically functional molecule onto the deposited monomer. Additional embodiments include methods for the deposition of the monomer onto the treated substrate in a solvent-free environment. Further embodiments include articles having surfaces prepared using the methods described herein. Additional embodiments include articles prepared using the methods described herein.

A medical balloon catheter assembly includes a balloon having a permeable region and a non-permeable region. The balloon is constructed at least in part from a fluid permeable tube such that the permeable region is formed from a porous material which allows a volume of pressurized fluid to pass from within a chamber formed by the balloon and into the permeable region sufficiently such that the fluid may be ablatively coupled to tissue engaged by the permeable region. The non-permeable region is adapted to substantially block the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly from the balloon. The porous material may be a porous fluoropolymer, such as porous polytetrafluoroethylene, and the pores may be created by voids that are inherently formed between an interlocking node-fibril network that makes up the fluoropolymer. Such voids may be created according to one mode by expanding the fluoropolymer. The balloon may be formed such that the porous material extends along both the permeable and non-permeable regions. In one mode of this construction, the porous material is porous along the permeable region but is non-porous along the non-permeable region, such as for example by expanding only the permeable region in order to render sufficient voids in the node-fibril network to provide permeable pores in that section. The voids or pores in the porous material may also be provided along both permeable and non-permeable sections but are substantially blocked with an insulator material along the non-permeable section in order to prevent fluid from passing therethrough. The insulator material may be dip coated, deposited, or extruded with the porous material in order to fill the voids. The insulator material may in one mode be provided along the entire working length of the balloon and then selectively removed along the permeable section, or may be selectively exposed to only the non-permeable sections in order to fill the voids or pores there.

A hearing assist device is associated with an ear of a user. Health characteristics of the user are measured by sensors of the hearing assist device. The measured health characteristics may be analyzed in the hearing assist device, or transmitted from the hearing assist device for remote analysis. Based on the analysis, alerts, instructions, and other information may be displayed to the user in the form of text or graphics, or may be played by the hearing assist device in the form of sound/voice. Medical personnel may be alerted when problems with the user are detected by the hearing assist device. The user may provide verbal commands to the hearing assist device. The hearing assist device may be configured to filter sounds, and may be configured for a personal hearing frequency response of the user. The hearing assist device may be configured for speech recognition to recognize commands.

A drug eluting medical device is provided for implanting into vessels or luminal structures within the body of a patient. The coated medical device, such as a stent, vascular, or synthetic graft comprises a coating consisting of a controlled-release matrix of a bioabsorbable, biocompatible, bioerodible, biodegradable, nontoxic material, such as a Poly(DL-Lactide-co-Glycolide) polymer, and at least one pharmaceutical substance, or bioactive agent incorporated within the matrix or layered within layers of matrix. In particular, the drug eluting medical device when implanted into a patient, delivers the drugs or bioactive agents within the matrix to adjacent tissues in a controlled and desired rate depending on the drug and site of implantation.

Disclosed is a system for delivery of a drug comprising a multiple unit dosing device comprising a housing and an actuator, said device containing multiple doses of multiparticulates comprising drug particles, said device upon actuation delivering a unit dose of said multiparticulates, said drug particles having a mean diameter of greater than 10 mum to about 1 mm such that an effective dose of said drug cannot be delivered into the lower lung of a human patient. Also disclosed are novel methods, devices and dosage forms for delivering a drug.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus for coating a medical device. In one embodiment, the method for preparing a substantially uniform coated medical device includes (1) preparing a coating solution comprising a solvent, a therapeutic agent, and an additive; (2) loading a metering dispenser with the coating solution; (3) rotating the medical device about the longitudinal axis of the device and/or moving the medical device along the longitudinal or transverse axis of the device; (4) dispensing the coating solution from the metering dispenser onto a surface of the medical device and flowing the coating solution on the surface of the medical device while the medical device is rotating and/or linearly moving; and (5) evaporating the solvent, forming a substantially uniform coating layer on the medical device.

Hearing assist devices and devices and services that are capable of providing external operational support thereto are described. In accordance with various embodiments, the performance of one or more functions by a hearing assist device is assisted or improved in some manner by utilizing resources of an external device and/or service to which the hearing assist device may be communicatively connected. Such performance assistance or improvement may be achieved, for example and without limitation, by utilizing power resources, processing resources, storage resources, sensor resources, and/or user interface resources of an external device or service to which the hearing assist device may be communicatively connected.

The present invention relates to implantable medical devices for delivery of therapeutic agents, such as drugs, to a patient. More particularly, the invention relates to a device having therapeutic agents protected by a protective layer that prevents or retards processes that deactivate or degrade the active agents.

The stent with an outer slough coating 125 of the present invention provides a coated stent having a permanent coating 130 disposed on the stent and a slough coating 125 disposed on the permanent coating 130. The permanent coating 130 includes an anti-proliferative agent and the slough coating 125 includes an anti-inflammatory agent. The slough coating 125 erodes shortly after stent implantation to deliver the anti-inflammatory agent, which treats tissue trauma from the angioplasty and the presence of the stent. Once the slough coating 125 has substantially eroded, the permanent coating 130 delivers the anti-proliferative agent long-term to prevent tissue growth on the stent or within the body lumen, and prevent restenosis. The permanent coating 130 can also include an anti-inflammatory agent.

A device (12) and method are provided for percutaneous transdermal delivery of a potent pharmacologically active agent. The agent is dissolved in water to form an aqueous coating solution having an appropriate viscosity for coating extremely tiny skin piercing elements (10). The coating solution is applied to the skin piercing elements (10) using known coating techniques and then dried. The device (12) is applied to the skin of a living animal (e.g., a human), causing the microprotrusions (10) to pierce the stratum corneum and deliver a therapeutically effect dose of the agent to the animal.

Some embodiments disclosed herein related to a device for transferring precise amounts of fluid from at least one source container to a at least one target container. In some embodiments, the fluid is first transferred from the source container (e.g., a vial) through a connector to an intermediate measuring container (e.g., a syringe). In some embodiments air can pass through an air inlet and enter the vial to compensate for the volume of fluid withdrawn from the vial. An air check valve or a bag or a filter can prevent the fluid from escaping through the air inlet. The precisely measured amount of fluid can then be transferred from the intermediate measuring container to the target container (e.g., an IV bag). In some embodiments the connector can include a source check valve and a target check valve to direct fluid first from the source container to the intermediate measuring container and then from the intermediate measuring container to the target container. Some embodiments of the device can include a motor and a controller for automatically actuating a plunger of the syringe to transfer the desired amount of fluid.

A stent comprising a tubular stent matrix of which diameter is extendable and a flexible polymer layer covering the stent matrix. The polymer layer is closely attached to and covers the entire surface of the stent matrix. Since the flexible polymer layer closely covers the entire surface of the stent matrix not only the outer periphery of the stent matrix, the stent has no problem of causing allergic to metal, stimulus of tissues due to metal, and rust development. Since the inner periphery of the stent is a flat and smooth surface covered by the polymer layer without convexes and concaves, the formation of thrombus can be inhibited well. There is no problem of drift between the polymer layer and the stent matrix, thereby maintaining the positional relationship between the stent matrix and the polymer layer before and after the expansion of the stent.

An improved pump, reservoir and reservoir piston are provided for controlled delivery of fluids. A motor is operably coupled to a drive member, such as a drive screw, which is adapted to advance a plunger slide in response to operation of the motor. The plunger slide is removably coupled to the piston. A method, system, and an article of manufacture for automatically detecting a force sensor failure in a medication infusion pump is provided. The electrical current to an infusion pump is measured. Based on the current measurements, the infusion pump detects when the plunger slide is seated in the reservoir, and detects a problem with the force sensor when the force sensor independently fails to register a value indicating that the plunger slide is seated in the reservoir.

The invention provides a system for enhancing the ability of a surgeon to access a target site within a patient. The system includes a data file containing volumetric scan data of a region of the patient that includes the target site, a display device, and a movable imagining tool for producing on the display device, an image of visible patient structure seen by the tool. A computer in the system operates to (i) determine the position and/or orientation of the tool in the frame of reference of the patient, (ii) identify the scan-data coordinates (either x,y or x,y,z coordinates) of the target site, and (iii) project on the video image on the display device, indicia that indicate the lateral position of the target site with respect to the patient structure imaged on the display device.

A vented vial adapter has a filter attached to a vent arm that includes at least two filter media for suppressing aerosolized medicaments from leaving the vial and suppressing bacteria and other contaminants from entering the vial during reconstitution activities of the medication in the vial. The filter media allows the passage of air to the atmosphere outside the vial for pressure equalization. In another aspect, a third filter medium is used in the vent of the adapter to allow gas to pass in either direction through it, but prevents bacteria and particulate matter in the atmosphere from reaching the second filter device. A first filter is hydrophobic and prevents non-dispersed liquid from reaching the second filter, while conducting liquid dispersed in gas. The second filter absorbs the liquid dispersed in gas.

The present invention provides a bioactive coating composition, method and devices for bodily fluid-contacting surfaces. The coating comprises a complex of Formula II: wherein R₁ is an C_1-18alkyl or C_6-32aryl group, each R₂ is independently selected from the group consisting of C_1-18alkyl and C_6-32aryl, R₃ is N or O, n is a number from 1 to 10, and x in a number from 1 to about 30, directly bound to a heparin-activity molecule via covalent bonding, with one or more bioactive molecules bound to the heparin-activity molecule. The bioactive molecule may be an adhesive molecule such as fibronectin, a growth factor such as basic fibroblast growth factor, or any other bioactive molecule that binds, by any mechanism, to a heparin-activity molecule

Coatings for an implantable medical device and a method of fabricating thereof are disclosed, the coatings comprising polymers of lactic acid.

The present invention relates to improved methods for making and using bioadhesive, bioresorbable, anti-adhesion compositions made of intermacromolecular complexes of carboxyl-containing polysaccharides, polyethers, polyacids, polyalkylene oxides, multivalent cations and/or polycations. The polymers are associated with each other, and are then either dried into membranes or sponges, or are used as fluids or microspheres. Bioresorbable, bioadhesive, anti-adhesion compositions are useful in surgery to prevent the formation and reformation of post-surgical adhesions. The compositions are designed to breakdown in-vivo, and thus be removed from the body. Membranes are inserted during surgery either dry or optionally after conditioning in aqueous solutions. The anti-adhesion, bioadhesive, bioresorptive, antithrombogenic and physical properties of such membranes and gels can be varied as needed by carefully adjusting the pH and/or cation content of the polymer casting solutions, polyacid composition, the polyalkylene oxide composition, or by conditioning the membranes prior to surgical use. Multi-layered membranes can be made and used to provide further control over the physical and biological properties of antiadhesion membranes. Membranes and gels can be used concurrently. Antiadhesion compositions may also be used to lubricate tissues and/or medical instruments, and/or deliver drugs to the surgical site and release them locally.

Coatings are provided in which surfaces may be activated by covalently bonding a silane derivative to the metal surface, covalently bonding a lactone polymer to the silane derivative by in situ ring opening polymerization, and depositing at least one layer of a polyester on the bonded lactone. Biologically active agents may be deposited with the polyester layers. Such coated surfaces may be useful in medical devices, in particular stents.