Chemical solution enclosing device and chemical solution enclosing method

Abstract

Provided is a chemical solution enclosing device that inserts a plug into a barrel containing a chemical solution, the device comprising: a sleeve that is inserted into the barrel so that the tip end of the sleeve is positioned in the vicinity of the level of the chemical solution; a push rod that advances the plug inserted in the sleeve; and a drawing depressurization device that depressurizes the inside of the barrel by drawing the air in the barrel, which is isolated from the outer air, through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel. After the drawing depressurization device has depressurized the inside of the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the push rod is moved to advance the plug from the inside of the sleeve to the inside of the barrel, with the depressurization maintained. The sleeve is withdrawn from the inside of the barrel after at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the plug and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel contact each other in a fluid-tight manner.

Description

Chemical liquid sealing device and chemical liquid sealing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drug solution injection device and a drug solution injection method for inserting a stopper into a barrel of a syringe containing a drug solution.

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for sealing a medicinal liquid in which a stopper is inserted into a barrel containing the medicinal liquid. The method described in Patent Document 1 is carried out in a vacuum chamber. First, an air vent needle is placed in the barrel so that its tip is located near the liquid surface of the medicinal liquid in the barrel. In this state, the stopper is inserted into the barrel. The stopper is pushed forward until it reaches a predetermined position in the barrel, at which point the air vent needle is removed from the barrel. Thereafter, the vacuum chamber is returned to normal pressure, and the barrel with the stopper inserted is removed from the vacuum chamber. This produces a prefilled syringe in which the medicinal liquid is sealed while suppressing the generation of air bubbles.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-285166

[0004] However, in the case of the method of encapsulating a drug solution described in Patent Document 1, the insertion of stoppers into barrels is performed all at once in a vacuum chamber, i.e., by batch processing. Therefore, when mass-producing prefilled syringes, a large vacuum chamber or multiple vacuum chambers is required, and as a result, the device for encapsulating the drug solution becomes large.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to insert a stopper into a barrel containing a medicinal solution without increasing the size of the device.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a drug solution sealing device that inserts a stopper into a barrel that contains a drug solution, the drug solution sealing device comprising: a barrel holding unit that holds the barrel; a sleeve that is inserted into the barrel held by the barrel holding unit so that its tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the drug solution; a push rod that pushes the stopper inserted into the sleeve; and a suction and decompression device that sucks air inside the barrel, which is separated from the outside air, through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, to reduce the pressure inside the barrel, wherein after the suction and decompression device has reduced the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the push rod is moved while maintaining the reduced pressure to push the stopper from inside the sleeve into the barrel, and after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper has come into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the drug solution sealing device retracts the sleeve from inside the barrel.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for inserting a stopper into a barrel containing a medicinal liquid, the method comprising: inserting a sleeve into the barrel so that its tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the medicinal liquid; inserting the stopper into the sleeve; reducing the pressure inside the barrel by using a suction / decompression device to suck in air inside the barrel, which is separated from the outside air, through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel; after the suction / decompression device has reduced the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined level, pushing the stopper from inside the sleeve into the barrel while maintaining the reduced pressure; and after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, retracting the sleeve from inside the barrel.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a stopper can be inserted into a barrel containing a medicinal solution without increasing the size of the device.

[0009] 7A is a perspective view of a drug solution encapsulating device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 7B is a block diagram showing a control system of the drug solution encapsulating device; FIG. 7C is a block diagram showing a control system of the drug solution encapsulating device; FIG. 7D is a partial cross-sectional view of a prefilled syringe; FIG. 7E is a partial cross-sectional view of a capping unit of the drug solution encapsulating device;

[0010] A drug solution sealing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a drug solution sealing device that inserts a stopper into a barrel containing a drug solution, and includes: a barrel holding unit that holds the barrel; a sleeve that is inserted into the barrel held by the barrel holding unit so that its tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the drug solution; a push rod that pushes the stopper inserted into the sleeve; and a suction / decompression device that sucks air from within the barrel, which is separated from the outside air, through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, to reduce the pressure inside the barrel.After the suction / decompression device reduces the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the suction / decompression device moves the push rod to push the stopper from within the sleeve into the barrel while maintaining the reduced pressure, and after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the sleeve is retracted from within the barrel.

[0011] According to this aspect, the stopper can be inserted into the barrel containing the drug solution without increasing the size of the device.

[0012] For example, after the stopper is placed at the tip of the sleeve, the pump may begin to reduce the pressure inside the barrel.

[0013] For example, after a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the plug comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the movement of the push rod may be stopped, and the sleeve may be retracted from within the barrel while the push rod remains stopped.

[0014] For example, the barrel holding unit may include a pair of clamp claws that clamp the barrel in the radial direction of the barrel.

[0015] For example, the barrel holding unit may be configured to raise and lower the barrel.

[0016] Another aspect of the method of sealing a drug solution according to the present disclosure is a method of inserting a stopper into a barrel containing the drug solution, comprising inserting a sleeve into the barrel so that its tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the drug solution, inserting the stopper into the sleeve, and using a suction / decompression device to suck air from inside the barrel through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel to reduce the pressure inside the barrel separated from the outside air, and after the suction / decompression device has reduced the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the stopper is pushed from inside the sleeve into the barrel while maintaining the reduced pressure, and after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the sleeve is retracted from inside the barrel.

[0017] According to this aspect, the stopper can be inserted into the barrel containing the chemical solution without increasing the size of the device. Note that a pump and an ejector are used as the suction and decompression device.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drug solution injection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of a component conveyance system. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pre-filled syringe.

[0020] The X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system shown in the drawings is for facilitating understanding of the present disclosure and does not limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. In this X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system, the X-axis and Y-axis directions indicate the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction indicates the vertical direction.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the drug solution encapsulation device 10 according to this embodiment includes a barrel transport unit 12 that transports the barrel 102 of the prefilled syringe 100, a barrel holding unit 14 that holds the barrel 102, a stoppering unit 16 that inserts a stopper 104 into the barrel 102 held by the barrel holding unit 14, a pump 18 that is a suction and pressure reduction device, and a control device 20 that controls these.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3 , the drug solution sealing device 10 prepares the pre-filled syringe 100 by inserting the stopper 104 into the barrel 102 in which the drug solution W is contained.

[0023] The barrel 102 of the prefilled syringe 100 has a cylindrical shape and is made of, for example, a resin material. A cap 106 is attached to the distal end (the end to which the injection needle is attached) of the barrel 102. A finger grip portion 102b is provided at the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102 opposite the distal end. Furthermore, an opening 102d is formed at the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102, which communicates with an internal space 102c of the barrel 102 in which the medicinal solution W is contained.

[0024] The stopper 104 of the prefilled syringe 100 is a substantially cylindrical body made of an elastic material such as rubber. The stopper 104 has a leading end 104a that contacts the medicinal solution W and a trailing end 104b that connects to a plunger (not shown) when the prefilled syringe 100 is in use. The stopper 104 elastically deforms to come into fluid-tight contact with the inner circumferential surface of the barrel 102.

[0025] In this specification, "fluid-tight contact" refers to two objects being in contact with each other in such a way that fluids such as liquids and gases cannot pass between the objects.

[0026] The drug solution sealing device 10 is configured such that the plug 104 is inserted into the internal space 102c of the barrel 102 through the opening 102d of the barrel 102, starting from its tip 104a.

[0027] In this embodiment, the barrel transport unit 12 of the drug solution sealing device 10 is configured to transport the barrel 102 containing the drug solution W from a drug solution filling position (not shown) where the drug solution W is filled into the barrel 102, toward a stopper body insertion position where the stoppering unit 16 inserts the stopper body 104 into the barrel 102.

[0028] The barrel transport unit 12 includes a guide rail 22 extending toward the capping unit 16, and a slide table 24 that is movable on the guide rail 22 and on which the barrel 102 is placed. The barrel 102 is supported by a jig 26 provided on the slide table 24 with its opening 102d facing upward.

[0029] The barrel transport unit 12 may have any shape as long as it can transport the barrel 102 containing the chemical solution W with its opening 102d facing upward.

[0030] The barrel holding unit 14 of the drug solution injecting device 10 is configured to hold the barrel 102 when the stopper 104 is inserted into the barrel 102. In this embodiment, the barrel holding unit 14 includes a pair of clamp claws 32 that radially clamp the barrel 102 on the slide table 24 that has been transported to the stopper insertion position by the barrel transport unit 12. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the barrel holding unit 14 is configured to raise and lower the barrel 102 by vertically moving the pair of clamp claws 32. To this end, each of the clamp claws 32 is rotatable about a rotation center line extending in the height direction (Z-axis direction) and is attached to the tip of a rod 34a of an actuator 34 that moves back and forth in the height direction.

[0031] The barrel holding unit 14 may have any shape as long as it can hold the barrel 102 when the stopper 104 is inserted into the barrel 102. Furthermore, the pair of clamp claws 32 can clamp barrels 102 with different outer diameters. As a result, the versatility of the barrel holding unit 14 is improved.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a capping unit of the drug solution sealing device, Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the capping unit, and Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the capping head of the capping unit.

[0033] 4 to 6 is configured to insert stoppers 104 into barrels 102 that contain a medicinal solution W. In this embodiment, the stoppering unit 16 includes a stoppering head 40 that inserts the stoppers 104 into the barrels 102 held by the barrel holding unit 14.

[0034] In this embodiment, the capping head 40 is composed of a fixed head 42 whose position in the height direction (Z-axis direction) is fixed, and a movable head 44 that is movable in the height direction.

[0035] The fixed head 42 includes a base member 46 and a cover member 48 attached to the base member 46 .

[0036] The base member 46 is detachably attached to a fixed arm 50. A recessed chamber 46a is formed in the base member 46. The chamber 46a is sealed by being covered with a cover member 48. A seal ring 52 is provided between the base member 46 and the cover member 48 to seal the gap between them. A through-hole 46b is formed in the bottom surface of the chamber 46a, penetrating in the height direction (Z-axis direction), for reasons that will be described later.

[0037] 6, the base member 46 is formed with an internal flow path 46c that connects the chamber 46a to the pump 18. An air coupler 54 is attached to the outlet of the internal flow path 46c for connection to an air tube (not shown) extending from the pump 18. The air within the chamber 46a is sucked by the pump 18 via the internal flow path 46c and the air coupler 54, for reasons that will be described later.

[0038] The cover member 48 is fixed to the base member 46 via, for example, screws. The cover member 48 also integrally includes a cylindrical sleeve portion 48a that is inserted into the barrel 102 held by the barrel holding unit 14. The sleeve portion 48a has an outer diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the barrel 102, thereby forming a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve portion 48a and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel 102.

[0039] The sleeve portion 48a extends downward and passes through a through-hole 46b formed in the bottom surface of the chamber 46a of the base member 46. The sleeve portion 48a has a cylindrical internal space 48b into which the plug 104 can be inserted. An opening 48d communicating with the internal space 48b is formed in the upper surface 48c of the cover member 48 so that the plug 104 can be inserted into the internal space 48b of the sleeve portion 48a. Instead of the sleeve portion 48a being integrally provided on the cover member 48, a separate sleeve may be attached to the cover member 48.

[0040] 6 , a cylindrical seal member 56 having a contact surface 56a that comes into contact with the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102 is inserted into the through-hole 46b of the base member 46. The seal member 56 is made of an elastic material such as a rubber material. The seal member 56 also has a through-hole 56b through which the sleeve portion 48a of the cover member 48 passes. Note that the through-hole 56b has an inner diameter that forms a gap between its inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve portion 48a, allowing air to pass through, for reasons that will be described later.

[0041] A cylindrical seal pressing member 58 having a lower end surface 58a that contacts the seal member 56 and an upper end surface 58b that contacts the cover member 48 is inserted into the through hole 46b of the base member 46. When pressed by this seal pressing member 58, the base member 46 and the seal member 56 are brought into tight contact with each other, and the base member 46 and the seal member 56 come into fluid-tight contact with each other.

[0042] A through-hole 58c is formed in the seal pressing member 58, through which the sleeve portion 48a of the cover member 48 passes. Note that the through-hole 58c has an inner diameter that forms a gap that allows air to pass between its inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve portion 48a, for reasons that will be described later. In addition, a plurality of grooves 58d that communicate the inside of the through-hole 58c with the chamber 46a of the base member 46 are formed in the upper end surface 58b of the seal pressing member 58.

[0043] Therefore, the chamber 46a of the base member 46 is connected to the outside via the groove 58d of the seal pressing member 58, the gap between the through hole 58c of the seal pressing member 58 and the sleeve portion 48a of the cover member 48, and the gap between the through hole 56b of the seal member 56 and the sleeve portion 48a.

[0044] 5, the movable head 44 of the capping unit 16 includes a base member 60. The base member 60 is detachably attached to a movable arm 64 attached to the tip of a rod 62a of an actuator 62 that moves back and forth in the height direction (Z-axis direction).

[0045] The base member 60 of the movable head 44 also includes a push rod 66 that extends downward and enters the sleeve portion 48a of the cover member 48 of the fixed head 42. As will be described in detail below, when the movable head 44 descends, the push rod 66 pushes the plug 104 inserted into the sleeve portion 48a downward.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the base member 46 of the fixed head 42 and the base member 60 of the movable head 44 are detachably attached to the fixed arm 50 and the movable arm 64, respectively. Therefore, by preparing stoppering heads 40 (i.e., pairs of fixed heads 42 with corresponding sleeve portions 48a and movable heads 44 with corresponding push rods 66) corresponding to different types of pre-filled syringes 100 (i.e., pairs of barrels 102 with different inner diameters and stoppers 104 with corresponding outer diameters) in advance, the drug solution encapsulating device 10 can insert stoppers 104 into the barrels 102 of various types of pre-filled syringes 100 simply by exchanging the stoppering heads 40.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2 , the control device 20 of the liquid medicine encapsulating device 10 is configured to control the barrel transport unit 12, the barrel holding unit 14, the capping unit 16, and the pump 18. That is, the control device 20 controls the movement of the slide table 24 of the barrel transport unit 12, the clamping / unclamping and elevation of the pair of clamp claws 32 of the barrel holding unit 14, the elevation of the movable head 44 of the capping unit 16, and the pump 18. The control device 20 is composed of, for example, a processor such as a CPU or an MPU, and a storage device such as a memory that stores programs that cause the processor to perform various operations. Hereinafter, the operation of the liquid medicine encapsulating device 10 executed under the control of the control device 20, particularly the capping operation of inserting the caps 104 into the barrels 102, will be described.

[0048] 7A to 7F are diagrams showing the stoppering operation for inserting the stopper into the barrel.

[0049] 7A , the barrel transport unit 12 first positions the barrel 102 containing the medicinal solution W at the stopper insertion position, i.e., below the fixed head 42 of the stoppering head 40 of the stoppering unit 16. Specifically, the barrel 102 is positioned so that the sleeve portion 48a can enter the barrel 102 simply by moving the sleeve portion 48a relative to the barrel 102 in the height direction (Z-axis direction).

[0050] 7B , the barrel holding unit 14 holds the barrel 102 containing the medicinal liquid W and raises the held barrel 102 toward the fixed head 42 of the stoppering head 40. This inserts the sleeve portion 48a into the barrel 102. The barrel 102 is raised until its proximal end 102a contacts the contact surface 56a of the seal member 56 of the fixed head 42. When the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102 contacts the contact surface 56a, the tip of the sleeve portion 48a is positioned near the liquid surface of the medicinal liquid W.

[0051] 7B , when the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102 comes into contact with the contact surface 56a of the seal member 56 of the fixed head 42, the chamber 46a of the fixed head 42 and the internal space 102c of the barrel 102 communicate with each other. Specifically, the chamber 46a and the internal space 102c of the barrel 102 communicate with each other via a gap between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 58c of the seal pressing member 58 and the sleeve portion 48a, a gap between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 56b of the seal member 56 and the sleeve portion 48a, and a gap G between the inner circumferential surface of the barrel 102 and the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve portion 48a. The internal space 102c of the barrel 102, which communicates with the chamber 46a, is separated from the outside air by the barrel 102, the medicinal solution W, and the stopper 104, which are in contact with the contact surface 56a of the seal member 56 of the fixed head 42.

[0052] 7C, the push rod 66 of the movable head 44 moves downward, pushing the plug 104 inserted into the sleeve portion 48a all the way to the tip of the sleeve portion 48a. At this time, the plug 104 is pushed forward while in fluid-tight contact with the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve portion 48a (because the inner diameter of the barrel 102, whose inner circumferential surface is in fluid-tight contact with the plug 104, is larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve portion 48a). As a result, air inside the sleeve portion 48a is pushed out through the gap G between the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve portion 48a and the inner circumferential surface of the barrel 102.

[0053] Note that the push rod 66 may position the plug 104 at the tip of the sleeve portion 48a at the stage shown in FIG. 7A, i.e., before the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102 contacts the contact surface 56a of the seal member 56 of the fixed head 42.

[0054] 7D , once the push rod 66 has placed the plug 104 at the tip of the sleeve portion 48a, the downward movement of the push rod 66 temporarily stops. The pump 18 then sucks air from within the barrel 102 through the gap G between the chamber 46a and the sleeve portion 48a and the inner circumferential surface of the barrel 102, thereby reducing the pressure inside the barrel 102. This causes the air inside the barrel 102 to expand.

[0055] 7B, i.e., before the stopper 104 has been placed on the tip of the sleeve portion 48a. However, as described above, if the stopper 104 is placed on the tip of the sleeve portion 48a before the proximal end 102a of the barrel 102 comes into contact with the contact surface 56a of the seal member 56 of the fixed head 42, the volume to be depressurized is reduced, thereby shortening the time required for depressurization by the pump 18. This also shortens the time required to prepare the prefilled syringe 100.

[0056] When the pressure inside the barrel 102 is reduced to a predetermined pressure, the pump 18 stops suction. The pressure inside the barrel 102 can be detected, for example, by using a pressure sensor provided in an air tube extending between the pump 18 and the air coupler 54. After the pump 18 stops, the push rod 66 resumes movement, pushing the plug 104 from inside the sleeve portion 48a into the barrel 102.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7E, when a portion of plug 104 is pushed forward by push rod 66 and emerges from within sleeve portion 48a, the outer peripheral surface of that portion comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of barrel 102. This seals the portion of internal space 102c of barrel 102 located below plug 104. The pressure within the portion of internal space 102c sealed by plug 104 returns to approximately atmospheric pressure, and the small amount of remaining air is compressed. As a result, the portion of internal space 102c sealed by plug 104 is filled with medicinal solution W with the generation of air bubbles suppressed.

[0058] The push rod 66 pushes the plug 104 forward until the entire plug 104 is inserted into the barrel 102 .

[0059] 7F , when the entire plug 104 is placed in the barrel 102, the sleeve portion 48a retracts from within the barrel 102. In the present embodiment, the barrel holding unit 14 moves the barrel 102 downward, causing the sleeve portion 48a to retract from within the barrel 102.

[0060] 7E, i.e., immediately after a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the plug 104 comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner circumferential surface of the barrel 102. In this case, it is preferable for the push rod 66 to remain stationary, i.e., to remain in contact with the plug 104. If the sleeve 48a is retracted while the remaining portion of the plug 104 remains within the sleeve 48a, the plug 104 may move relative to the barrel 102 along with the sleeve 48a. By maintaining the stationary state, the push rod 66 functions as a stopper that limits the movement of the plug 104 in the retracting direction of the sleeve 48a. As a result, the plug 104 remains in the appropriate position within the barrel 102 without moving within the barrel 102.

[0061] According to the present embodiment as described above, it is possible to insert a stopper into a barrel containing a chemical solution without increasing the size of the device, i.e., without using a vacuum chamber.

[0062] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

[0063] For example, in the embodiment described above, the height position of the sleeve portion 48a is fixed, and the barrel 102 is raised and lowered by the barrel holding unit 14. This causes the sleeve portion 48a to advance into and retreat from the barrel 102. However, the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The height position of the barrel 102 may be fixed, and the sleeve portion 48a may be raised and lowered.

[0064] In other words, a drug solution sealing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is, in a broad sense, a drug solution sealing device that inserts a stopper into a barrel that contains a drug solution, and includes: a barrel holding unit that holds the barrel; a sleeve that is inserted into the barrel held by the barrel holding unit so that its tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the drug solution; a push rod that pushes the stopper inserted into the sleeve; and a suction / decompression device that sucks air inside the barrel, which is separated from the outside air, through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, to reduce the pressure inside the barrel.After the suction / decompression device reduces the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the suction / decompression device moves the push rod to push the stopper from inside the sleeve into the barrel while maintaining the reduced pressure, and after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the device retracts the sleeve from inside the barrel.

[0065] Furthermore, a method for sealing a liquid medicine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is, in a broad sense, a method for inserting a stopper into a barrel containing the liquid medicine, comprising: inserting a sleeve into the barrel so that its tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the liquid medicine; inserting the stopper into the sleeve; using a suction / decompression device to suck in the air inside the barrel, which is separated from the outside air, via a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, thereby reducing the pressure inside the barrel; after the suction / decompression device has reduced the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined level, the stopper is pushed from inside the sleeve into the barrel while maintaining the reduced pressure; and after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the sleeve is retracted from inside the barrel.

[0066] Furthermore, although the number of prefilled syringes produced at one time is not mentioned in the above-described embodiment, the number of prefilled syringes produced at one time may be one, or may be two as shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5. Furthermore, three or more prefilled syringes may be produced at one time.

[0067] Although not described in detail, by replacing the clamp claws 32 and the like in the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to stopper vials without drawing a vacuum during stoppering.

[0068] The present disclosure is applicable to the manufacture of cartridges for pre-filled syringes and auto-injectors in which a stopper is inserted into a barrel containing a medicinal solution.

Claims

1. A drug solution sealing device that inserts a stopper into a barrel containing a drug solution, a barrel holding unit that holds the barrel; a sleeve that is inserted into the barrel held by the barrel holding unit so that a tip thereof is positioned near a liquid surface of the chemical solution; a push rod for pushing the plug inserted into the sleeve; a suction and decompression device that decompresses the inside of the barrel by sucking air inside the barrel separated from the outside air through a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, After the suction pressure reducing device reduces the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the push rod is moved while maintaining the reduced pressure, and the plug is pushed from inside the sleeve into the barrel; the sleeve is retracted from the barrel after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the plug and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel have come into fluid-tight contact.

2. After a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the plug comes into fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the barrel, the movement of the push rod is stopped; 2. The drug solution injection device according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve is retracted from the barrel while the push rod is kept stopped.

3. The drug solution inclusion device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the barrel holding unit includes a pair of clamp claws that clamp the barrel in a radial direction of the barrel.

4. The drug solution injection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the barrel holding unit is configured to raise and lower the barrel.

5. A drug solution sealing device as described in claim 3, wherein the barrel holding unit is configured to raise and lower the barrel.

6. A method for sealing a liquid medicine by inserting a stopper into a barrel containing the liquid medicine, Inserting a sleeve into the barrel so that the tip is positioned near the liquid surface of the chemical solution; Inserting the plug into the sleeve; the air in the barrel separated from the outside air via a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel is sucked by a suction / decompression device to reduce the pressure inside the barrel; After the suction pressure reducing device reduces the pressure inside the barrel to a predetermined pressure, the plug is pushed from inside the sleeve into the barrel while maintaining the reduced pressure; the sleeve is retracted from the barrel after at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the plug and the inner peripheral surface of the barrel have come into fluid-tight contact.