Device in the form of an inhaler for the administration of a pharmaceutical

Abstract

Inhaler for administering a pharmaceutical with a) a reservoir (1) for storing the pharmaceutical, wherein the reservoir (1) has a dispensing opening (2), b) a triggering device (3) for triggering an application of a pharmaceutical product, wherein the pharmaceutical product is dispensed through the dispensing opening (2), c) an information storage medium (4) for storing application data, d) a conversion device (5) for converting analog application data into digital application data, e) a wireless information transmission device (6) for transmitting the application data to an external display and / or storage medium and f) a power generation unit (7) for providing electrical energy to the conversion unit (5), the information storage medium (4) and the information transmission unit (6) characterized by the fact that the energy generation device (7) is designed as an inductive element, or as a vibrationally excited element (13) in an outlet opening of the inhaler (3), which is excited to vibrate by the outflowing pharmaceutical, wherein the inductive element comprises a coil (9) arranged on the reservoir (1) and magnets (8) arranged on a base body and cooperating with the coil (9) and a movement of the reservoir (1) both induces an electronic current and opens the path for the pharmaceutical through the dispensing opening (2). will and that during the application, the required electrical energy can be generated and provided by the energy generation device (7) instead of a long-term energy storage device.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device in the form of an inhaler for the application of a pharmaceutical according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such a device for administering a pharmaceutical is known, for example, from US Patent 2006 / 0011651 A1. The device described therein is an inhaler with a reservoir for storing the pharmaceutical, the reservoir having a dispensing port. Furthermore, this device has a triggering mechanism for initiating the administration of a pharmaceutical, whereby the pharmaceutical is dispensed through the dispensing port. This device also includes an information storage medium for storing administration data, and in this case, the device is further equipped with an electronic display. This display is permanent, so no current is required to keep the display unchanged. Moreover, only a very small current is required to modify the display.The display can be a liquid crystal display or comprise bistable nematic crystals.

[0003] Although such devices already operate very energy-efficiently, they require an energy storage system. While these energy storage systems function independently of an external power supply, they are essentially batteries. Due to self-discharge, these batteries may need to be replaced over the potentially very long lifespan of the device. It is possible to make such batteries considerably larger, but this results in greater weight and volume for the device. Furthermore, the use of batteries necessitates a disposal process that is not always straightforward.

[0004] While it is possible to use rechargeable batteries, this is generally not accepted by users because it requires additional steps for the user to recharge the batteries and perform the associated tasks. Furthermore, the use of rechargeable batteries can lead to safety issues. For example, an electronic dosing counter might malfunction due to battery discharge, potentially displaying an excessively high remaining amount of pharmaceutical product in the reservoir. Consequently, the user might not be prepared to use an additional reservoir of pharmaceutical product if the one in the device is already empty.

[0005] Furthermore, the application data relating to the applications performed is only contained in the device, so that it can be lost in the event of a power supply failure.

[0006] WO 2014 / 068 504 A2 describes devices and methods for the controlled delivery of lung medication to a patient.

[0007] US 2013 / 0 053 719 A1 shows procedures for observing and documenting asthma patient data.

[0008] WO 2007 / 137 991 A1 concerns an inhalation device.

[0009] WO 2014 / 006 413 A1 shows a possibility for supplying energy to an inhalation device by means of an energy generation unit.

[0010] US 2008 / 0 132 881 A1 concerns the remote release of drugs.

[0011] The online encyclopedia Wikipedia article "Energy Harvesting" from May 29, 2014, covers various possibilities of energy harvesting.

[0012] EP 2 662 008 A2 relates to a method for generating ozone-containing fluid.

[0013] US 2014 / 0 144 946 A1 shows a discharger.

[0014] It is therefore an object of the invention to further develop a device for applying a pharmaceutical according to the preamble of claim 1 in such a way that its operation is maintained independently of a replaceable battery or replaceable accumulator and the application data relating to the applications that have already been carried out with the device can be safely stored.

[0015] This problem is solved by an inhaler for the application of a pharmaceutical with all the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are found in the dependent claims.

[0016] The inhaler according to the invention for administering a pharmaceutical is provided with a reservoir for storing the pharmaceutical, the reservoir having a dispensing opening. Furthermore, the inhaler has a triggering device for initiating the administration of a pharmaceutical, whereby the pharmaceutical is dispensed through the dispensing opening. An information storage medium is also integrated into the inhaler, which serves to store application data. The inhaler according to the invention is characterized by the fact that, firstly, a conversion device for converting analog application data into digital application data, a wireless information transmission device for transmitting the application data to an external display and / or storage medium, and a power generation device for providing electrical energy to the conversion device and the information transmission device are provided.

[0017] With the help of the energy generation unit, it is possible to generate the required energy shortly before or during the application of the pharmaceutical, instead of using a long-term energy storage device such as a battery or accumulator, and to supply this energy to the conversion unit and the information transmission unit. The conversion unit converts analog application data, for example, in the form of application doses and times, into digital application data, which is then transmitted wirelessly to an external display and / or storage medium.

[0018] The invention makes such an inhaler energy-independent or energy-autonomous, as it can generate or provide the energy necessary for its operation itself during operation. Furthermore, the invention eliminates the need to ensure that the application data is permanently stored in a memory within the device itself. Such a memory is potentially susceptible to data loss, meaning that secure data storage cannot be guaranteed in the prior art.

[0019] According to the invention, the application data, which is usually in analog form, such as application doses and application time, is converted into digital application data, which can then be transmitted wirelessly to an external display and / or storage medium for further processing. Such display and / or storage media can be, for example, personal computers, tablet computers, or smartphones, although this list is not exhaustive.

[0020] In a particular embodiment of the invention, the energy provided by the energy generation unit can be used to store application data on the information storage medium, while the energy for transferring the application data to an external display and / or storage medium is provided by this external device.

[0021] According to a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, the wireless information transmission device is designed as an RFID transponder or as a near-field transmission device. Using such information transmission devices, application data can be easily transmitted wirelessly via radio signals, with a standardized radio protocol available, which allows the application data and / or additional information to be transmitted with extremely low energy consumption and maximum security over distances of up to 300 m.

[0022] There are various ways to design the energy generation device accordingly. It is therefore conceivable to design the energy generation device as an inductive element or as a flow element. Using such devices, the inhaler according to the invention can generate the electrical energy necessary for its operation itself or provide it for a short period of time. For example, kinetic energy applied by the user is converted into electrical energy by the energy generation device. When using a flow element, however, the flow of the pharmaceutical or air within the inhaler according to the invention, or its reservoir or dispensing opening, can also be used to generate electrical energy for operating the inhaler.

[0023] When using an inductive element as an energy generation device for converting mechanical into electrical energy, it has proven advantageous to use a rotary generator, a linear generator, or a microgenerator in which magnets and coils interact inductively with each other.

[0024] Furthermore, a capacitor can also be used as an electrostatic element for storing electrical energy. This is not part of the invention.

[0025] If the energy generation device for converting mechanical into electrical energy is designed as a piezoelectric element, it has been shown that this element comprises at least one piezoelectric crystal. This is not part of the invention.

[0026] If the energy generation device is designed as a flow element for converting flow energy into electrical energy, it advantageously includes a turbine or a vibration element.

[0027] Of course, it is also possible to design the energy generation device as a radio receiver for converting the energy of an electromagnetic field into electrical energy. This is not part of the invention.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, the information storage medium is designed as a counter that adds up or subtracts from a specific maximum value the number of triggering events of the triggering device or the number of doses dispensed by triggering the triggering device. This makes it possible to easily determine the total number of doses for the pharmaceutical product in the reservoir and to subtract or add the corresponding doses or triggering events from this total. If the total number of dispensed doses approaches the total amount of pharmaceutical product in the reservoir, and thus the remaining doses in the reservoir fall below a threshold, the inhaler can automatically inform the user via the wireless information transmission device. The user can then prepare, or have prepared, a new reservoir in a timely manner.

[0029] Such inhaler devices are used regularly by many patients, especially allergy sufferers and chronically ill patients, possibly even several times a day, so that the inhaler according to the invention can be very helpful to the user in managing pharmaceutical application.

[0030] Therefore, in addition to the inhaler described above, a system consisting of such an inhaler and an external display and / or storage medium is also protected. This external display and / or storage medium is designed for documentation management and may include a microprocessor for this purpose. A corresponding software program or application can be installed on a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, which then also functions as the external display and / or storage medium. This software program or application enables documentation management. For example, such a program or application can record the time, which can be particularly advantageous for chronically ill patients.If a chronically ill patient measures relevant bodily parameters and then administers a pharmaceutical using an inhaler according to the invention, the inhaler transmits the data relating to this administered pharmaceutical to the already running software program or application. According to the invention, the time of the pharmaceutical administration or the transmission of the measured values ​​is then documented by the software program or application. In this case, a separate clock in the device according to the invention is unnecessary, thus simplifying its technical design.

[0031] Further objectives, advantages, features, and applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. All features described and / or illustrated, individually or in any meaningful combination, constitute the subject matter of the present invention, even independently of their compilation in the claims or their cross-references.

[0032] They show: Fig. 1: a device that is not part of the invention, Fig. 2: an embodiment of an inhaler according to the invention, Fig. 3: a device that is not part of the invention, Fig. 4: a device that is not part of the invention, Fig. 5: a device that is not part of the invention, Fig. 6: a device that is not part of the invention, Fig. 7: a seventh embodiment of a device according to the invention in different views, Fig. 8: a device that is not part of the invention and Fig. 9: a device that is not part of the invention.

[0033] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows a device for the application of a pharmaceutical. This device essentially consists of a reservoir 1 for storing the pharmaceutical, wherein the reservoir 1 has a dispensing opening at its upper end (not shown). The dispensing opening shown in the figure is located at the reservoir 1. Fig. At the lower end of reservoir 1, a triggering device 3 is provided for initiating the application of the pharmaceutical. As soon as this triggering device 3 is actuated by the user, the pharmaceutical is released through the dispensing opening (not shown). The energy generation device 7 is also located at the lower end of reservoir 1 and is actuated by rotating this lower end. During rotation of this energy generation device, an electric current is induced by a coil (not shown) and an associated magnet. This current is sufficient to power the device during application, both for converting analog application data into digital application data and for transmitting this application data to an external display and / or storage medium.

[0034] In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, an inhaler is depicted as a device for administering a pharmaceutical. A reservoir 1 containing a pharmaceutical is housed in the inhaler's base body, and a dispensing opening 2 for the pharmaceutical is located at its lower end. The upper end of the reservoir 1 simultaneously serves as a triggering device 3 for initiating the administration of the pharmaceutical. Two magnets 8 are arranged on the inhaler's base body, which interact with a coil 9 located on the reservoir 1. When the inhaler is to administer the medication, the user activates the triggering device 3 of the reservoir 1. This moves the reservoir downwards within the inhaler's base body.This not only opens the way for the pharmaceutical to pass through the dispensing opening, but also induces an electric current through the movement of the coil 9 assigned to the reservoir 1 relative to the magnets 8 assigned to the base body of the inhaler, which is sufficient to supply electrical energy to both a conversion device (not shown here) for converting analog application data into digital application data and an information transmission device (also not shown here) for wirelessly transmitting the application data to an external storage and / or display medium.

[0035] In the device according to the Fig. 3 is the functionality according to the Fig. 2. However, this is not an inhaler, but a syringe. Magnets 8 are arranged on the syringe body, which interact inductively with a coil 9 associated with the syringe's plunger, one end of which also serves as a triggering device. The tip serves as the dispensing opening of this device for the administration of a pharmaceutical.

[0036] In the device of the Fig. 4. This is again an inhaler for delivering a pharmaceutical, which is essentially the same as that of the Fig. 2 is designed. However, the electrical energy required for the operation of the conversion device 5 and the information transmission device 6 is not generated inductively via a magnet-coil combination. Instead, a piezoelectric element 10 with a piezoelectric crystal 11 is used, which, when the trigger device 3 at the upper end of the reservoir 1 is actuated, comes into contact with the lower end of the reservoir 1 and thereby generates the electrical energy for the operation of the device according to the invention. The drug or pharmaceutical is again dispensed via the dispensing opening 2 at the lower end of the reservoir 1, which is held in the base body of the inhaler.

[0037] The device according to the Fig. Device 5 again utilizes the law of induction to generate energy. However, in this case, a coil 9 is not moved relative to a magnet 8. Rather, the magnet 8 is moved relative to the coil 9 integrated into the base of the inhaler, for example, by shaking the inhaler, so that the electrical energy necessary for operating the device, in particular the conversion and information transmission units, is generated within the coil 9. The coil 9 and the magnet 8 together form the energy generation unit 7. This is particularly advantageous because certain inhalers typically need to be shaken before use.

[0038] In a similar manner to the device according to the Fig. 5 is in the device of the Fig. 6. Electrical energy is generated. However, no coil-magnet combination is used for electrical energy generation. Instead, a piezoelectric element 10 is used, which in this case is formed with two piezoelectric crystals 11 and a bolt 12 that can oscillate back and forth between them. As soon as the bolt 12 comes into contact with one of the piezoelectric crystals, for example when the inhaler is shaken, an electric current is generated in or by it, which is sufficient to operate the device for delivering a pharmaceutical, in particular its conversion unit and its information transmission unit.

[0039] In the embodiment according to the Fig. 7. The electrical energy is generated by an element 13 that is excited to vibrate and is arranged in an outlet opening of the inhaler 30 located therein. This element is excited to vibrate by the flowing pharmaceutical. The triggering mechanism corresponds to the devices designed as inhalers 30 for the delivery of a pharmaceutical according to the Fig. 1, 2, and 4 to 6.

[0040] If the airflow generated by the medication or pharmaceutical expulsion is insufficient to set the rotor 13 in motion, this can also be achieved by the user drawing air from the inhaler. Furthermore, it may also be possible to use a flexible vibrating element instead of the rotor 13, which is set into vibration by the airflow described above. While such vibrating elements are already known from the prior art, they can also be easily used in the inhaler according to the invention to generate electrical energy for its operation.

[0041] In the Fig. Figure 8 schematically shows an inhaler 30 in which a reservoir 1 for a pharmaceutical is arranged in the base body. The pharmaceutical application is started by actuating the end of the reservoir 1 protruding from the base body, which is designed as a triggering device 3. The pharmaceutical can then exit the inhaler through a dispensing opening 2 at the other end of the reservoir 1. An information transmission device 6, designed as a radio receiver 14, is also schematically indicated on the inhaler. This device serves to wirelessly transmit application data to an external storage and / or display medium.

[0042] For intermediate storage, such an inhaler - including one of the inhalers previously described in the exemplary embodiments - can of course also be equipped with an information storage medium 4.

[0043] Also only indicated in this illustration is the conversion device 5 for converting analog to digital application data, the energy generation device 7, which, as described above, can be designed in a variety of ways.

[0044] A similar device now shows Fig. 9, in which the information storage medium 4 and the conversion device 5 are designed separately from the energy generation device 7 and the information transmission device 6 designed as a radio receiver 14. Reference symbol list 1 Reservoir 2. Drop-off opening 3. Triggering device 4 Information storage medium 5 Conversion device 6 Information transmission device 7 Energy generating plant 8 Magnet 9 coil 10 Piezoelectric element 11 piezoelectric crystal 12 bolts 13 Element 14 radio receivers 20 syringe equipment 30 Inhaler device

Claims

Inhaler for the application of a pharmaceutical, comprising: a) a reservoir (1) for storing the pharmaceutical, wherein the reservoir (1) has a dispensing opening (2); b) a triggering device (3) for triggering an application of a pharmaceutical, in which the pharmaceutical is dispensed through the dispensing opening (2); c) an information storage medium (4) for storing application data; d) a conversion device (5) for converting analog application data into digital application data; e) a wireless information transmission device (6) for transmitting the application data to an external display and / or storage medium; and f) a power generation device (7) for providing electrical energy to the conversion device (5), the information storage medium (4), and the information transmission device (6), characterized in that the power generation device (7) is an inductive element.or is designed as a vibration-stimulated element (13) in an outlet opening of the inhaler (3), which is stimulated to vibrate by the outflowing pharmaceutical, wherein the inductive element comprises a coil (9) arranged on the reservoir (1) and magnets (8) arranged on a base body and cooperating with the coil (9), and a movement of the reservoir (1) both induces an electric current and opens the path for the pharmaceutical through the delivery opening (2), and that during application the required electrical energy can be generated and provided by the energy generation device (7) instead of a long-term energy storage device. Inhaler according to claim 1, characterized in that the wireless information transmission device (6) is designed as an RFID transponder or as a device for near field transmission. Inhaler according to claim 1, characterized in that an energy generation device (7) designed as an inductive element for converting mechanical into electrical energy comprises a rotary generator or a linear generator or a microgenerator. Inhaler according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information storage medium (4) is designed as a counter which adds up or subtracts from a predetermined maximum value triggering events of the triggering device (2) or dosing units applied by triggering the triggering device (2). System comprising an inhaler according to one of the preceding claims and an external display and / or storage medium, characterized in that the external display and / or storage medium is designed for carrying out documentation management. System according to claim 5, characterized in that the external display and / or storage medium is designed as a personal or tablet computer or as a smartphone and the documentation management is stored in the form of a software program or an application on the personal or tablet computer or smartphone.

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