The present invention provides for the integration of drug dispersion methods into a drug or medicine delivery system. The drug dispersion methods used include shear (e.g., air across a drug, with or without a gas assist), capillary flow or a venturi effect, mechanical means such as spinning, vibration, or impaction, and turbulence (e.g., using mesh screens, or restrictions in the air path). These methods of drug dispersion allow for all of the drug in the system to be released, allowing control of the dosage size. These methods also provide for drug metering, fluidization, entrainment, deaggragation and deagglomeration. The present invention also provides for the integration of a drug sealing system into the device. The drug sealing system provides a way of blocking the migration of drug from one area of the package to another. The drug seal system can also provide a method of tightly containing the drug until the package is opened, of directing airflow through the package and of managing and containing the drug during the package/device manufacturing process.

Disclosed is a dry powder inhaler for delivering medicament from at least one blister pack, each blister pack having a plurality of spaced-apart blister pockets containing doses of the medicament. The inhaler comprises: a housing for accommodating unused and used portions of the at least one blister pack together with a dispensing mechanism for simultaneously opening at least two blister pockets at a time; and a manifold component through which air can be drawn in use of the inhaler. The manifold component comprises: first and second air inlet openings for receiving external air a first air outlet opening for providing the external air to a first opened blister pocket and a first medicament inlet opening for receiving air-entrained medicament from the first opened blister pocket, the first air outlet opening and the first medicament inlet opening being arranged side-by-side to enable simultaneous communication with the first opened blister pocket; a second air outlet opening for providing the external air to a second opened blister pocket and a second medicament inlet opening for receiving air-entrained medicament from the second opened blister pocket, the second air outlet opening and the second medicament inlet opening being arranged side-by-side to enable simultaneous communication with the second opened blister pocket; and a medicament outlet opening for delivery of the air-entrained medicament from the first and second opened blister pockets to the user, the first and second medicament inlet openings being fluidly connected to the medicament outlet opening by a medicament delivery conduit formed in the manifold component. The first and second air inlet openings are fluidly connected to the first and second air outlet openings by respective first and second air conduits in the manifold component, wherein the air conduits are separately provided so that the external air from each of the first and second air inlet openings does not mix with the external air from the other of the first and second air inlet openings before reaching the first and second opened blister pockets.

A nasal delivery device for and method of delivering particulate substance to the nasal airway of a subject, the delivery device comprising: a body assembly including a mouthpiece unit which includes a mouthpiece through which the subject in use exhales, and a substance-supply unit which is fluidly connected to the mouthpiece unit and actuatable to provide particulate substance for delivery to the nasal airway of the subject; wherein the body assembly is configured to receive a replaceable nosepiece unit which includes a nosepiece and contains a container containing particulate substance.

A device for inhaling an active agent is provided that can be moved from a first configuration to a second configuration. The device comprises two flexible substrates and a membrane located between the two flexible substrates, and the two flexible substrates being connected at two opposing edges and unconnected at two further opposing edges. An active agent provided on the membrane may be inhaled by a user when the device is in the second configuration. A method of using the device is also provided.

A medicament delivery device for dispensing discrete doses of medicament comprises: first and second medicament carriers each comprising said doses of medicament contained in a plurality of individual compartments spaced along a carrier strip and sealed by a sealing layer; first and second opening mechanisms each arranged to handle a respective one of the first and second medicament carriers and to open each compartment of the respective medicament carrier by separating the sealing layer from the carrier strip as the medicament carrier is advanced through the device; a take-up spool arranged to wind the separated sealing layers thereon such as to maintain the separated sealing layers in tension, each separated sealing layer having a path of travel between a respective one of the first and second opening mechanisms and the take-up spool; and a tension control element in contact with each of the separated sealing layers, wherein at least a part of the tension control element is arranged to be movable by a biasing force, which is exerted on the tension control element by the separated sealing layers as a result of any inequality in the tensions of the separated sealing layers wound by the take-up spool, to alter the length of the path of travel of each separated sealing layer so as to substantially equalise the tensions in the separated sealing layers.

A fluid dispenser device having a reservoir (10) containing fluid; a dispenser head (20) provided with a dispenser orifice (21); and a piston (45; 70) for dispensing at least a portion of the fluid through the dispenser orifice (21). The reservoir (10) is closed in leaktight manner by a closure element (25) before actuation. The device includes a passage (40) for connecting the reservoir (10) to the dispenser orifice (21) during actuation, the passage (40) including a hollow sleeve (41) that is stationary relative to the dispenser head (20), for sliding around the closure element (25) during actuation, so as to open the passage (40).

A nasal powder delivery device having a container containing a dose of powder, a nasal delivery head, and an air discharge system generating a flow of compressed air for delivering a dose of powder into the nostril. An air chamber is arranged in a skirt, and a piston sealingly slides in the air chamber to compress the air. The piston is connected to an actuating member, in which, before actuation, at least one breakable bridge is provided between the skirt and the actuating member, wherein each breakable bridge is formed on the skirt and cooperates with a radial projection formed on the actuating member. Each radial projection has an axial extension greater than that of the respective breakable bridge and forms an inclined axial ramp on either side.

A nasal drug delivery device for delivering a plume derived from a propellant and a drug compound. The drug corn-pound is in an intranasal dosage form in the form of powder, suspension, dispersion, or liquid. The propelled intranasal dosage form is deposited within the upper nasal cavity such as the olfactory region. The drug deposited within the olfactory region is delivered to the brain avoiding the blood-brain-barrier. Hydrofluoroalkane propellant from a pressurized canister is channeled to a diffuser and drug-containing channel where the intranasal dosage form is aerosolized. The aerosolized intranasal dosage form passes through a nozzle thus delivering a plume to the user's upper nasal cavity.

Disclosed is an inhaler and a method for using the inhaler for the inhalation of a formulation from a carrier. The carrier contains the formulation in a receptacle and is set oscillating by an air current. An improved or defined delivery and nebulisation of the preferably powdered formulation is made possible by the fact that the carrier is set oscillating in defined manner, the formulation is dispensed through a cover element having three to five holes and/or the air current flows onto a fin associated with the carrier and flows past at least substantially only one flat side of the carrier.

A breath-powered, dry powder inhaler, a cartridge, and a pulmonary drug delivery system are provided.