DRY POWDER INHALATOR

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a dry powder inhaler.

[0002] Powder inhalers are well known in the prior art. There are different types of them.

[0003] One type of multi-dose inhaler contains a reservoir that holds multiple doses of powder. The inhaler is equipped with a metering mechanism that, with each actuation, dispenses a dose of powder from the reservoir into an expulsion channel for delivery to the user. These devices require complex and therefore expensive metering mechanisms, and the accuracy and reproducibility of the dosage are not guaranteed. Furthermore, there is a risk of contamination of the powder in the reservoir as the inhaler is used.

[0004] Another type of multi-dose inhaler involves several individual reservoirs, each containing a dose of powder, and opening one of these reservoirs each time the inhaler is activated. This design ensures better powder sealing, since each dose is only exposed to the atmosphere upon expulsion. Various methods have already been proposed for creating these individual reservoirs, such as blister strips or discs. Regarding opening the individual reservoirs, peeling or detaching the blister seal has been suggested. This presents the disadvantage of making it difficult to control the forces required to ensure complete opening without risking opening the next reservoir, particularly if the opening mechanism is activated by inhalation.Another solution is to pierce the sealing membrane of a blister pack with each actuation, which requires complex and therefore expensive drilling methods.

[0005] The multidose inhalers described above also present the problem of not guaranteeing optimal distribution efficiency, with a significant portion of the dose actually reaching the user's lungs to have a beneficial therapeutic effect.

[0006] To create less complex and therefore less expensive devices, single-dose inhalers have been proposed, consisting of a single individual reservoir, such as a blister or a capsule, which is loaded into the inhaler just before use. The advantage of these single-dose devices is that it is not necessary to store all the doses inside the device, allowing for a smaller size. However, they are more complicated to use, as the user must load a blister or capsule into the inhaler before each use. Furthermore, other drawbacks specific to these single-dose inhalers exist. For example, a blister or capsule cannot deliver large doses, typically exceeding 100 mg.Furthermore, opening the device, particularly the capsules or blisters that require piercing, necessitates the use of complex piercing tools and carries the risk of perforations in the dispensed powder. In addition, the reservoir's emptying performance is not always optimal, as some powder may remain inside the reservoir during inhalation.

[0007] To address these drawbacks, document WO9826828 proposed a single-dose inhaler with a cylindrical reservoir featuring a lateral opening, housed within a larger-diameter cylindrical chamber. During inhalation, the reservoir moves within the chamber in an orbital motion, causing the powder to be expelled. This design effectively improves delivery efficiency, with the reservoir being nearly completely emptied and a larger portion of the dose actually reaching the lungs. However, a disadvantage of this device is that the reservoir's dimensions must be precisely matched to those of the chamber to ensure proper orbital movement.However, unless the inhaler is modified, which would be very expensive, this does not allow for easy variation of the powder dose, whereas it may be desirable to be able to use the same inhaler with reservoirs containing different dosages.

[0008] Documents WO02085281A1, WO03075988A1, WO2009121020A1, WO2013008037A1 and WO2008001132A1 describe other prior art devices.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a powder inhaler that does not reproduce the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0010] In particular, the present invention aims to provide such an inhaler which improves the efficiency of distribution, by allowing the distribution of almost all of the powder contained in the reservoir and by increasing the portion of the dose which will reach the user's lungs.

[0011] The present invention also aims to provide such an inhaler which optimizes the movement of the reservoir in the chamber during actuation.

[0012] The present invention also aims to provide such an inhaler which reduces the complexity of use for the user and which ensures better safety of use.

[0013] The present invention also aims to provide such an inhaler which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

[0014] The present invention therefore relates to a dry powder inhaler comprising: a body and a mouthpiece having a delivery orifice through which the user inhales, a chamber, a reservoir containing a dose of dry powder to be inhaled and having a lateral outlet orifice, said reservoir being disposed in said chamber, the diameter of said reservoir being less than the diameter of said chamber, so that in the loaded position, said reservoir can move within said chamber, said body having tangential channels adapted to bring an inhalation airflow tangentially into said chamber, which, during inhalation, generates an orbital displacement of said reservoir within said chamber in the loaded position,

[0015] said tank comprising an external profile defining an inscribed volume forming an external volume of the tank greater than the internal volume of the tank which contains the powder, said external profile comprising a plurality of ribs extending radially on an external wall of said tank.

[0016] Advantageously, said tank is formed of an upper tank part and a lower tank part, which are assembled after filling with the dose of powder.

[0017] Advantageously, each part of the tank has its own respective profile.

[0018] Advantageously, said lower part of the tank includes said lateral outlet orifice.

[0019] Advantageously, the mouthpiece includes a grid upstream of the dispensing orifice.

[0020] Advantageously, said chamber is arranged between an inhalation air inlet and said mouthpiece.

[0021] Advantageously, said reservoir contains a dose of powder greater than 50 mg, in particular greater than 100 mg.

[0022] Advantageously, the volume occupied by said tank in said chamber in the loaded position is greater than 50% of the volume of said chamber.

[0023] Advantageously, the radial diameter of said tank is greater than its axial height.

[0024] Advantageously, said chamber is arranged in a movable, in particular pivotable, mounted loading member on said body between an unloaded position, in which a reservoir can be arranged in said chamber, and a loaded position, in which said chamber and said reservoir are arranged inside said body of the inhaler.

[0025] According to an advantageous variant, the chamber is disposed in said body, said inhaler comprising an actuation member that can be moved axially relative to said body to move said reservoir from an uncharged position to a charged position.

[0026] Advantageously, said actuating member comprises at least one oblique groove receiving at least one respective lug formed on said body or on an element integral with said body, so that during its axial movement, said actuating member performs a rotation in said body.

[0027] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting example, in which there figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inhaler according to a first advantageous embodiment, before insertion of the reservoir into the inhaler, the figure 2 is a view similar to that of the figure 1 , after assembly of the tank but in the unloaded position, the figure 3 is a view similar to that of the figure 2 , in the loaded position, the figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inhaler according to a second advantageous embodiment, in the loaded position, the figure 5 is a schematic view from below the tank in the chamber, in the loaded position, the figure 6 is a schematic top view of the mouthpiece, the figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the reservoir, before closure, the figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reservoir of the figure 7 , there figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of the reservoir, after closure, and the figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reservoir of the figure 9 .

[0028] In the description below, the terms "upper", "lower" and "lateral" refer to the upright position of the device shown on the figure 4 The terms "axial" and "radial" refer to the longitudinal central axis A of the device.

[0029] THE figures 1 à 3 describe a first advantageous implementation method.

[0030] In this first embodiment, the inhaler comprises a body 110 and a mouthpiece 120 provided with a delivery orifice 121 through which the user inhales. A loading member 130 containing a chamber 111 is mounted movable, advantageously pivotable, on the body 110, between an unloaded position and a loaded position. In the unloaded position, a reservoir 10 can be placed in the chamber 111, and in the loaded position, shown in the figure 3 , chamber 111 and reservoir 10 are inside body 110 of the inhaler.

[0031] Advantageously, as can be seen on the figure 6 , the mouthpiece 120 has a grid 125 upstream of the distribution orifice 121.

[0032] Preferably, chamber 111 is disposed between an inhalation air inlet and said mouthpiece 120, so that when the user inhales through mouthpiece 120, the airflow will pass through said chamber 111.

[0033] The inhaler includes a reservoir 10 containing a dose of dry powder to be inhaled and having a lateral outlet 11.

[0034] The diameter of the reservoir 10 is smaller than the diameter of the chamber 111, so that in the loaded position, the reservoir 10 can move within the chamber 111. Tangential channels 115a, 115b, and 115c direct the inhalation airflow tangentially into the chamber 111, causing an orbital movement of the reservoir 10 within the chamber. The reservoir 10 rotates on its own axis while simultaneously rotating around the periphery of the chamber 111 along its lateral wall. This movement allows the expulsion of the powder contained in the reservoir 10, which is carried by the inhalation airflow towards the mouthpiece and the delivery port.

[0035] Advantageously, reservoir 10 can hold a dose of powder exceeding 50 mg, in particular exceeding 100 mg. In some cases, very large doses, in particular exceeding 500 mg, can be accommodated.

[0036] Advantageously, the volume occupied by the tank 10 in the chamber 111 in the loaded position is greater than 50% of the volume of the chamber 111.

[0037] Advantageously, the radial diameter of the tank 10 is greater than its axial height.

[0038] Advantageously, the reservoir 10 is formed of an upper reservoir portion 10a and a lower reservoir portion 10b, which are assembled after filling with the powder dose. Advantageously, it is the lower reservoir portion 10b that has the lateral outlet port 11. Advantageously, the lateral outlet port 11 is arranged axially centered.

[0039] Advantageously, the reservoir 10 is symmetrical, so that it can be inserted into the chamber 111 indifferently in either direction.

[0040] There figure 4 describes a second advantageous embodiment.

[0041] In this second embodiment, the inhaler comprises a body 110 containing a chamber 111 and a mouthpiece 120 provided with a distribution orifice 121 through which the user inhales.

[0042] Advantageously, the body 110 is formed of two body parts, an upper body part comprising the mouthpiece 120 and a lower body part comprising a cylindrical sleeve 112, the chamber 111 being defined by these two body parts fixed to each other.

[0043] The inhaler also includes an actuation member 130 for moving the reservoir 10 from its unfilled position to its filled position. This actuation member 130 is axially movable relative to the body 110 to push the reservoir 10 from its unfilled position to its filled position.

[0044] Advantageously, the axial displacement of the actuating member 130 is achieved by a rotation of the actuating member 130 in the body 110, for example by means of lug(s) of the body 110 disposed in one (or more) oblique groove(s) 150 of the actuating member 130.

[0045] According to the invention, the reservoir 10 has an external profile 15 defining an external volume of the reservoir greater than the internal volume of the reservoir containing the powder. This design optimizes the external dimensions of the reservoir 10 relative to the dimensions of the chamber 111, ensuring proper orbital movement of the reservoir 10 during actuation. Simultaneously, the internal volume of the reservoir can be modified while maintaining the same external volume, thus allowing the use of reservoirs with different powder dosages in the same inhaler.

[0046] Advantageously, each part of the tank 10a, 10b has its respective profile 15a, 15b.

[0047] According to the invention, the external profile 15 comprises a plurality of ribs 16 extending radially over the external wall of the tank 10. The number of ribs can be any number of times, as long as they define an inscribed volume forming the external volume of the tank.

[0048] The device of the invention is simple and effective. It consists of a small number of parts, making it inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and reliable in use. It allows for optimal powder distribution through the orbital movement of the reservoir during actuation, while guaranteeing the integrity of the powder until it is used.

[0049] It should be noted that the inhaler is rechargeable, by removing the empty reservoir and replacing it with a full one.

[0050] Various modifications are also possible for a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A dry-powder inhaler comprising: - a body (110) and a mouthpiece (120) provided with a dispensing orifice (121) through which the user inhales, - a chamber (111), - a reservoir (10) containing a dose of dry powder to be inhaled and comprising a lateral outlet opening (11), said reservoir (10) being disposed in said chamber (111), the diameter of said reservoir (10) being less than the diameter of said chamber (111), so that, in the loaded position, said reservoir (10) can move in said chamber (111), said body (110) comprising tangential channels (115a, 115b, 115c) adapted to bring a flow of inhalation air tangentially into said chamber (111), which, during inhalation, generates an orbital movement of said reservoir (10) in said chamber (111), in the loaded position, characterized in that said reservoir (10) comprises an external profile 15 defining an inscribed volume forming an external volume of the reservoir that is greater than the internal volume of the reservoir that contains the powder, said external profile (15) comprising a plurality of ribs (16) extending radially on an outer wall of said reservoir (10).

2. The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein said reservoir (10) is formed by an upper reservoir portion (10a) and a lower reservoir portion (10b), which are assembled after filling with the dose of powder.

3. The inhaler according to claim 2, wherein each reservoir portion (10a, 10b) has its respective profile (15a, 15b).

4. The inhaler according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said lower reservoir portion (10b) comprises said lateral outlet opening (11).

5. The inhaler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said mouthpiece (120) comprises a grid (125) upstream from said dispensing orifice (121).

6. The inhaler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said chamber (111) is disposed between an inhalation air inlet and said mouthpiece (120).

7. The inhaler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reservoir (10) contains a dose of powder greater than 50 mg, in particular greater than 100 mg.

8. The inhaler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the volume occupied by said reservoir (10) in said chamber (111) in the loaded position is greater than 50% of the volume of said chamber (111).

9. The inhaler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the radial diameter of said reservoir (10) is greater than its axial height.

10. The inhaler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims,, wherein said chamber is disposed in a loading member (130) mounted so as to be movable, in particular pivoting, on said body 110 between a non-loaded position, in which a reservoir (10) can be disposed in said chamber (111), and a loaded position, in which said chamber (111) and said reservoir (10) are disposed inside said body (110) of the inhaler.

11. The inhaler as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said chamber (111) is disposed in said body (110), said inhaler comprising an actuating member (130) axially movable with respect to said body (110) in order to move said reservoir (10) from a non-loaded position towards a loaded position.

12. The inhaler according to claim 11, wherein said actuating member (130) comprises at least one oblique groove (150) receiving at least one respective lug formed on said body (110) or on an element which is secured to said body (110), in a manner such that during its axial displacement, said actuating member (130) implements a rotation in said body (110).