Medicinal inhaler drive mechanism

Abstract

A drive mechanism for a medicinal inhaler, the inhaler comprising: a patient port; a canister actuable by the drive mechanism to deliver a dose of medicament to the patient port, the drive mechanism comprising: a follower which moves between a first position in which the mechanism is primed for use and a second position in which the follower engages the canister to deliver a dose of medicament tothe patient port, the follower being carried on a rocker plate which pivots as the follower moves between its first and second position, wherein the rocker plate engages a switch when the follower isin its second position to indicate that a dose of medicament has been delivered to the patient port.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims the benefit of UK Patent Application GB1706505.3 filed 25 April 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. technical field [0003] The present disclosure relates generally to drive mechanisms for medical inhalers, and particularly, but not exclusively, to drive mechanisms for reusable assemblies of breath-actuated medicinal inhalers. Background technique [0004] Inhalers of the pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI), dry powder inhaler (DPI) or nebulizer type are routinely used to deliver aerosolized drugs to the respiratory tract for the treatment of respiratory and other diseases. In particular pMDI inhalers have become the industry standard and are familiar to many patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A conventional pMDI device consists of an aluminum canister that is sealed with a metering valve and contains the dr...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, spacer devices are very bulky and they can retain excess drug on their walls, reducing the dose reaching the patient

Images