Implantable Drug Delivery Housing With Hydrophilic Diffusion Membrane

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing implantable drug delivery devices face challenges in achieving extended, controlled drug release for low-solubility drugs without causing patient discomfort, particularly for intravesical applications where devices need to be minimally invasive and maintain therapeutic drug levels over several days or weeks.

Innovation Solution

The devices utilize a housing with a first impermeable wall structure and a hydrophilic, drug-permeable second wall structure to control drug release through diffusion, avoiding osmotic mechanisms and ensuring compliance with bladder movements to minimize discomfort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Duration of action of moving object

If a device uses osmotic mechanisms for drug release, then controlled release over extended periods is achieved, but patient discomfort increases due to device size and invasiveness

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrug release durationVSAvoidpatient discomfort

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces osmotic mechanisms with a hydrophilic polymer membrane-based diffusion system. The hydrophilic second wall structure allows controlled drug diffusion through its permeable properties without requiring osmotic pressure generation, thereby eliminating the need for large osmotic agents and reducing device size to minimize patient discomfort while maintaining extended controlled release capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the drug release mechanism from osmotic pressure-driven to diffusion-driven through the hydrophilic polymer membrane. By adjusting the membrane's permeability parameters and hydrophilic properties, the system achieves zero-order release kinetics over extended periods with a smaller, more comfortable device configuration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a device is made small to reduce patient discomfort, then invasiveness is reduced, but maintaining therapeutic drug levels over extended periods becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice invasivenessVSAvoidtherapeutic drug level maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a composite wall structure with a first impermeable wall structure and a hydrophilic second wall structure with specific permeability. This composite design enables the small device to maintain therapeutic drug levels over extended periods by controlling diffusion rates through the hydrophilic membrane, achieving both compact size and sustained release capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The hydrophilic second wall structure functions as a porous/permeable membrane that controls drug diffusion. The membrane's porous or permeable properties allow sustained drug release over extended periods from the compact device, maintaining therapeutic levels without requiring a large device volume

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

3Reliability

If a device uses impermeable wall structures to contain drug, then drug containment is improved, but controlled drug release becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrug containmentVSAvoidcontrolled drug release

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different permeability properties to different parts of the wall structure. The first wall structure is impermeable for reliable drug containment, while the hydrophilic second wall structure is selectively permeable to enable controlled drug release. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between containment and controlled release

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 solution provides a controlled, zero-order drug release over extended periods, maintaining therapeutic levels and reducing patient discomfort by using a combination of silicone and hydrophilic polymers to manage drug diffusion and device compliance.

Implementation Method 1

releasing a drug from the drug reservoir lumen via diffusion through the second wall structure

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Data Source

PatentUS12409304B2Drug delivery devices with drug-permeable component and methods

Publication Date: 2025.09.09 JANSSEN BIOTECH INC

AI summary

Implantable drug delivery devices include a housing having a closed drug reservoir lumen bounded by a first wall structure and a hydrophilic second wall structure, and a drug contained in the drug reservoir lumen, wherein the first wall structure is impermeable to the drug and the second wall structure is permeable to the drug. Methods of providing controlled release of drug to a patient include deploying a drug delivery device in the patient releasing a drug from the drug reservoir lumen via diffusion through the second wall structure.