Device for dispensing a fluid product

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid product, the device comprising a reservoir (1) suitable for containing at least one dose of fluid product and a dispensing head (2) attached to the reservoir (1), wherein the dispensing head (2) comprises a tube (3) provided with a front end (4), wherein the front end (4) of the tube (3) comprises a front wall (5) that comprises at least two passage openings (10, 10'), wherein each passage opening (10, 10') is formed by a straight channel, the axis X, X' of which forms an angle α with respect to a longitudinal central axis A of the front end (4), and wherein the passage openings (10, 10') are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal central axis A, such that the axes X, X' of the passage openings (10, 10') converge at a contact point P arranged on the longitudinal central axis A, at a distance D from an outer surface of the front wall (5).

Description

[0001] Fluid product dispensing device

[0002] The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid product, in particular intended for the administration of a pharmaceutical product, in particular to small animals, such as for example mice.

[0003] State-of-the-art devices used to administer doses of drugs to small animals, such as rodents, particularly mice, are generally single-dose, single-use devices, in which the entire dose of product is dispensed in a single actuation. However, drug testing on animals, particularly rodents such as mice, is generally carried out on around fifteen rodents, which therefore requires around fifteen devices. In addition, the doses are generally not adjustable, so a different device is required for each different dosage.

[0004] Furthermore, these devices generally use a small diameter cannula to distribute the fluid product, typically with an external diameter of 0.7 mm and an internal diameter of 0.4 mm. However, this achieves a dose distribution in the form of a rectilinear jet, whereas it is preferable to be able to achieve this distribution in the form of a spray. Particularly in the context of pre-clinical trials on small animals, a spray with a Dv50 of less than 75 pm is desirable.

[0005] Documents US2014263693, US2013152924 and US2013181069 describe prior art devices, but none are suitable for a small diameter cannula.

[0006] The aim of the present invention is to provide a fluid product dispensing device which does not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0007] The present invention aims in particular to provide a fluid product dispensing device which makes it possible to dispense the fluid product at the outlet of a small diameter cannula in the form of a spray.

[0008] The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which is simple and reliable to use. The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which allows several doses to be dispensed in several successive uses.

[0009] The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

[0010] The present invention therefore relates to a device for dispensing a fluid product comprising a reservoir adapted to contain at least one dose of fluid product and a dispensing head fixed to said reservoir, said dispensing head comprising a cannula provided with a front end, said front end of said cannula comprising a front wall comprising at least two passage openings, each passage opening being formed by a rectilinear channel whose axis X, X' forms an angle α with respect to a longitudinal central axis A of said front end, said passage openings being arranged symmetrically with respect to said longitudinal central axis A, so that said axes X, X' of said passage openings converge at a contact point P arranged on said longitudinal central axis A, at a distance D from an external surface of said front wall.

[0011] Advantageously, said front wall has a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.13 mm.

[0012] Advantageously, the diameter of said passage openings is between 0.02 mm and 0.04 mm.

[0013] Advantageously, the angle a between on the one hand the axis X of said passage opening and the longitudinal central axis A of said front end of said cannula, and on the other hand between the axis X' of said passage opening and the longitudinal central axis A of the front end of the cannula, is between 30° and 50°, so that the angle formed between the axes X and X' is between 60° and 100°.

[0014] Advantageously, the distance D between an external surface of said front wall at said longitudinal central axis A and said contact point P is between 0.01 mm and 0.03 mm. Advantageously, the spacing E between said axes X and X' at an external surface of said front wall is between 0.02 mm and 0.035 mm.

[0015] Advantageously, said front wall has two passage openings.

[0016] Advantageously, said front wall is curved towards the front.

[0017] Advantageously, said dispensing head is removably attached to said reservoir, in particular via a Luer-type attachment, said cannula being attached, in particular welded, to said dispensing head.

[0018] Advantageously, the external diameter of said front end of said cannula is less than 1 mm, advantageously less than 0.8 mm, preferably approximately 0.7 mm.

[0019] Advantageously, the internal diameter of said front end of said cannula is less than 0.7 mm, advantageously less than 0.5 mm, preferably approximately 0.4 mm.

[0020] Advantageously, said cannula is curved or bent.

[0021] Advantageously, said reservoir is a syringe comprising a body and a piston sliding in said body during actuation.

[0022] Advantageously, the generated spray has a Dv50 between 15 and 75 pm.

[0023] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent during the following detailed description, made with reference to the attached drawings, given as non-limiting examples, and in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fluid product dispensing device according to an advantageous embodiment, Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the front end of a cannula, before drilling the passage openings in the front wall, Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, after drilling the passage openings in the front wall, Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3, during dispensing, and Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the front end of a cannula, illustrating an advantageous geometry of the front wall and the passage openings.

[0024] The terms "axial" and "radial" refer to the longitudinal central axis A of the cannula shown in Figure 5. The terms "forward" and "backward" refer to the direction of flow of the fluid product during actuation.

[0025] The fluid product dispensing device shown in Figure 1 comprises a reservoir 1 containing one or more doses of fluid product and a dispensing head 2 comprising a cannula 3 open at its front end 4.

[0026] The reservoir 1 is advantageously a syringe comprising a body 6 and a piston (not visible in FIG. 1) sliding in said body 6 during actuation. A piston rod 7 is preferably fixed to the piston to allow the user to actuate the device. This piston rod 7 may comprise at its rear end a radial flange 8 to facilitate gripping by a user.

[0027] The body 6 has an open front end adapted to receive the dispensing head 2, preferably in a removable manner. This attachment of the dispensing head 2 to the reservoir 1 can, for example, be achieved via a conventional Luer Lock type attachment. Other attachment means are possible, for example screwing or snap-fastening.

[0028] The cannula 3 forms a hollow tube defining a small diameter expulsion channel. Typically, the external diameter of the front end 4 of the cannula 3 is less than 1 mm, advantageously less than 0.8 mm, preferably about 0.7 mm. Similarly, the internal diameter of the front end 4 of the cannula 3 is typically less than 0.7 mm, advantageously less than 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.4 mm. In the example shown, the cannula 3 is bent, but it could be straight or curved, or of any suitable shape. It can be rigid, or alternatively partially or completely flexible. Advantageously, the rear part of the cannula 3 is welded to the dispensing head 2, but other fixing means are possible, for example a force fitting or gluing. According to the invention, the front end 4 of the cannula 3 comprises a front wall 5 in which at least two passage openings are made.

[0029] 10, 10'. Each passage opening 10, 10' is formed by a rectilinear channel whose axis X, X' forms an angle a with respect to the longitudinal central axis A of the front end 4 of the cannula 3. Thus, the passage openings 10, 10' are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis A, so that the axes X, X' of the passage openings 10, 10' converge at a contact point P arranged on the longitudinal central axis A, at a distance D from the external surface of the front wall 5, as visible in Figures 3 and 5.

[0030] Each 10, 10' passage opening has a rear opening

[0031] 11, 11' open on the cannula 3 and a front opening 12, 12' open to the outside.

[0032] In the example of the figures, there are two passage openings 10, 10', but more than two passage openings could be envisaged, for example three or four. In all cases, these passage openings must be arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis A, to converge at a contact point P located on said central axis A.

[0033] The front wall 5 may be curved forward, as in the example in the figures, but it could also be flat and radial.

[0034] This front wall 5 can be produced by punching the cannula 3, but other methods are also possible.

[0035] The passage openings 10, 10' are preferably made by laser drilling, but other methods are also possible.

[0036] The geometry provided in the front wall 5 of the cannula 3 allows the fluid product to be distributed in the form of a spray.

[0037] Thus, upon actuation, the fluid product flows axially into the cannula 3, then into the at least two passage openings 10, 10', so that the at least two fluid flows collide at the contact point P, which generates a spray. Depending on the geometry of these at least two passage openings 10, 10', the properties of the spray generated can be modified. Advantageously, the front wall 5 has a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.13 mm.

[0038] Advantageously, the diameter of the passage openings 10, 10' is between 0.02 mm and 0.04 mm.

[0039] Advantageously, the angle a between on the one hand the axis X of the passage opening 10 and the longitudinal central axis A of the front end 4 of the cannula 3, and on the other hand between the axis X' of the passage opening 10' and the longitudinal central axis A of the front end 4 of the cannula 3, is between 30° and 50°, so that the angle formed between the axes X and X' is between 60° and 100°.

[0040] Advantageously, the distance D between the external surface of the front wall 5 at the level of the axis A and the contact point P is between 0.01 mm and 0.03 mm.

[0041] Advantageously, the spacing E between the axes X and X' at the level of the external surface of the front wall 5 is between 0.02 mm and 0.035 mm.

[0042] In the example of Figure 5, the diameter of the passage openings 10, 10' is 0.03 mm; the angle a between on the one hand the axis X of the passage opening 10 and the longitudinal central axis A of the front end 4 of the cannula 3, and on the other hand between the axis X' of the passage opening 10' and the longitudinal central axis A of the front end 4 of the cannula 3, is 40°, so that the angle formed between the axes X and X' is 80°; the distance D between the external surface of the front wall 5 at the axis A and the contact point P is 0.02 mm; the spacing E between the axes X and X' at the external surface of the front wall 5 is 0.028 mm.

[0043] Tests of the embodiment of Figure 5 have established that the invention makes it possible to generate a correct spray, based on the one hand on the geometry and velocity of the spray, and on the other hand on the particle size of the spray drops (DSD: "Drop Size Distribution"). Thus, the embodiment described above makes it possible to obtain a Dv50 of 15 to 75 pm.

[0044] A preferred operation of the device shown in Figure 1 will now be described. Before first use, the reservoir 1 may be empty and separated from the dispensing head 2. It is then preferably closed by a cap (not shown), in a known manner.

[0045] The user who wishes to use the device removes the cap from the reservoir 1 and fills it with fluid. For example, in the case of a syringe, he draws fluid from a fluid reserve, by pulling the piston backwards in the body 6. The reservoir 1 can be filled with one dose of the chosen volume, or alternatively with two or more doses.

[0046] The device is then ready for its first active use, to dispense a dose of fluid product.

[0047] When the user presses the piston rod 7, it moves the piston relative to the body 6. Fluid product contained in the reservoir 1 is then expelled into the cannula 3 and then sprayed through the front end 4 of the cannula 3.

[0048] Advantageously, the entire fluid product contained in the reservoir 1 is dispensed in a single actuation.

[0049] Alternatively, the contents of the reservoir may be dispensed in two or more successive actuations.

[0050] When the reservoir 1 is empty, the user can remove the dispensing head 2, and refill the reservoir 1 in a known manner for the next use of the device.

[0051] A preferred application of the present invention relates to the administration of pharmaceutical products to small animals, such as, for example, mice. However, an application in humans is also conceivable.

[0052] Although the present invention has been described with reference to an advantageous embodiment, it is understood that those skilled in the art can make various modifications thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A fluid product dispensing device comprising a reservoir (1) adapted to contain at least one dose of fluid product and a dispensing head (2) fixed to said reservoir (1), said dispensing head (2) comprising a cannula (3) provided with a front end (4), characterized in that said front end (4) of said cannula (3) comprises a front wall (5) comprising at least two passage openings (10, 10'), each passage opening (10, 10') being formed by a rectilinear channel whose axis X, X' forms an angle α with respect to a longitudinal central axis A of said front end (4), said passage openings (10, 10') being arranged symmetrically with respect to said longitudinal central axis A, so that said axes X, X' of said passage openings (10, 10') converge at a contact point P arranged on said longitudinal central axis A, at a distance D from an external surface of said front wall (5).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein said front wall (5) has a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.13 mm.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the diameter of said passage openings (10, 10') is between 0.02 mm and 0.04 mm.

4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the angle a between on the one hand the axis X of said passage opening (10) and the longitudinal central axis A of said front end (4) of said cannula (3), and on the other hand between the axis X' of said passage opening (10') and the longitudinal central axis A of the front end (4) of the cannula (3), is between 30° and 50°, so that the angle formed between the axes X and X' is between 60° and 100°.

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance D between an external surface of said front wall (5) at said longitudinal central axis A and said contact point P is between 0.01 mm and 0.03 mm.

6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the spacing E between said axes X and X' at an external surface of said front wall (5) is between 0.02 mm and 0.035 mm.

7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said front wall (5) comprises two passage openings (10, 10').

8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said front wall (5) is curved forwards.

9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said dispensing head (2) is removably fixed to said reservoir (1), in particular via a Luer type fixing, said cannula (3) being fixed, in particular welded, to said dispensing head (2).

10. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the external diameter of said front end (4) of said cannula (3) is less than 1 mm, advantageously less than 0.8 mm, preferably approximately 0.7 mm.

11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the internal diameter of said front end (4) of said cannula (3) is less than 0.7 mm, advantageously less than 0.5 mm, preferably approximately 0.4 mm.

12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cannula (3) is curved or bent.

13. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reservoir (1) is a syringe comprising a body (6) and a piston sliding in said body (6) during actuation.

14. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the generated spray has a Dv50 of between 15 and 75 pm.

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