Apparatus and methods for ocular injection
Inventors
Andino, Rafael Victor • ZARNITSYN, Vladimir • YOO, Jesse • Brooks, Christopher John • Kahute, Trent John • Arsenault, Justin William • Trettin, David Jackson • Bauer, Andrew Kent • Lewis, Stephanie Elaine
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11559428-B2
Publication Date
2023-01-24
Expiration Date
Abstract
An apparatus includes a housing coupled to a medicament container, which is coupled to a needle. An injection assembly is disposed within the housing and includes an energy storage member and an actuation rod. A distal end portion of the actuation rod is disposed within the medicament container. The energy storage member can produce a force on a proximal end portion of the actuation rod sufficient to move the distal end portion of the actuation rod within the medicament container. This can convey at least a portion of a substance from the medicament container via the needle when a distal tip of the needle is disposed within a first region of a target location. The force is insufficient to move the distal end portion of the actuation rod within the medicament container when the distal tip of the needle is disposed within a second region of the target location.
Core Innovation
An apparatus includes a housing configured to contain a medicament and to be coupled to a puncture member, together with an injection assembly disposed within the housing. The injection assembly includes an energy storage member and an actuation rod, and the energy storage member produces a force on the actuation rod that is sufficient to convey at least a portion of the medicament via the puncture member when a distal tip of the puncture member is disposed within a first region of a target location.
The force is insufficient to convey the medicament when the distal tip is disposed within a second region of the target location, so delivery is enabled only in the first region and inhibited in the second region. In the ocular drug-delivery context, the target location is an eye having a first region including the suprachoroidal space and a second region including the sclera.
A backpressure-based delivery gating concept is also described, in which medicament is conveyed only under a first backpressure condition and not under a second, higher backpressure condition produced on the distal tip of the puncture member. The arrangement uses region-dependent conditions and backpressure-dependent conditions to control delivery relative to puncture position.
Claims Coverage
The document provides two independent apparatus claims. Across the independent claims, 2 inventive features control medicament conveyance via a puncture member only under defined region-dependent or backpressure-dependent conditions.
Region-dependent medicament conveying with energy storage actuation
A housing containing a medicament coupled to a puncture member, and an injection assembly with an energy storage member and an actuation rod, where the energy storage member produces a force on the actuation rod that is sufficient to convey medicament via the puncture member when a distal tip is disposed within a first region of a target location, and insufficient to convey medicament when the distal tip is disposed within a second region of the target location.
Backpressure-dependent medicament conveying
A housing containing a medicament coupled to a puncture member, and an injection assembly with an energy storage member and an actuation rod, where the energy storage member produces a force on the actuation rod that is sufficient to convey medicament via the puncture member when a first backpressure is produced on the distal tip of the puncture member, and insufficient to convey medicament when a second backpressure higher than the first backpressure is produced on the distal tip of the puncture member.
Across the independent claims, medicament conveyance through a puncture member is controlled by gating based on a first versus second target region and by gating based on first versus second backpressure levels.
Stated Advantages
Enables controlled delivery by conveying medicament only when the puncture distal tip is disposed within a selected region or when a first backpressure is produced, and preventing conveyance when the distal tip is disposed in another region or when a second, higher backpressure is produced.
Reduces conveying of medicament in undesired regions of the target location.
Helps prevent leakage.
Improves depth targeting.
Documented Applications
Ocular drug-delivery, including delivery involving the suprachoroidal space and the sclera of an eye.
Treatment of posterior eye diseases.
Delivery of medicaments including VEGF, VEGF inhibitors, VEGF antagonists, triamcinolone acetonide, and rapamycin (sirolimus) as described.
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