Dual-Chamber Pack with Breakable Membrane for Drug Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dual-chamber containers for liquid pharmaceuticals are prone to administration errors and contamination due to the mixing of drugs with water at the time of use, which can lead to degradation and instability of water-soluble or poorly-soluble drugs.
Innovation Solution
A dual-chamber pack design where a solid drug composition is separated from a liquid vehicle by a breakable polymeric membrane, allowing the drug to be mixed with the liquid only at the time of administration through a screw-based mechanism, ensuring stability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drug is placed inside the bottle and mixed with liquid diluent at the time of administration, then the patient can easily administer the medication, but the drug becomes susceptible to degradation and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The pack is divided into two separate chambers: a first chamber containing the liquid vehicle and a second chamber containing the solid drug composition. This segmentation prevents contact between the drug and water until administration time, maintaining drug stability while enabling easy administration through a simple mixing process.
Solution Approach 2:
A breakable polymeric membrane acts as an intermediary barrier between the liquid vehicle and solid drug composition. This membrane separates the two components during storage and allows their controlled mixing at administration time through mechanical rupture, solving both stability and ease of use requirements.
2Reliability
If the drug is kept separate from water until administration, then drug degradation is minimized, but the packaging structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The second chamber containing the solid drug composition is nested within or alongside the first chamber containing the liquid vehicle. This nested arrangement allows both chambers to be integrated into a single compact pack structure, minimizing device complexity while maintaining drug stability through separation.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible breakable polymeric membrane is used to separate the two chambers. This thin film barrier is simple in structure yet effective in maintaining separation during storage and enabling controlled mixing at administration, avoiding the need for complex rigid separation mechanisms.
3Device complexity
If a conventional single-chamber design is used, then the packaging is simpler, but administration errors and contamination risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the pack into two separate chambers with distinct contents (liquid vehicle and solid drug), the design prevents premature contact between components that could lead to contamination or administration errors, while maintaining relative simplicity through integrated construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakable polymeric membrane serves as an intermediary that maintains separation between chambers during storage and transport, preventing contamination. At administration time, this membrane is intentionally ruptured to allow controlled mixing, eliminating the need for complex sealing or opening mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dual-chamber pack maintains the stability of the reconstituted composition for up to a month, reducing administration errors and contamination risks while allowing for flexible dosing and compatibility with both low and high-dose drugs.
Implementation Method 1
a breakable polymeric membrane (5), adapted to fit into the opening (7) from a lower end and into a cap (1) from the upper end
Implementation Method 2
the cap (1) over the second chamber comprising a means to exert pressure onto the plunger (3) so as to partially rupture the breakable polymeric membrane (5) of the plug (4) and deliver the solid composition into the container (8)
Implementation Method 3
a screw-based mechanism, which in turn cuts the bottom of the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a dual-chamber pack for a multi-dose oral liquid pharmaceutical composition wherein the compositions of the first and second chambers are mixed at the time of first administration.