A method of flowing a medicament containing powder using gas, including, providing a volume of a gas according to one or more release conditions; directing flow of said gas through or adjacent a powder including a medicament; and releasing a therapeutically effective amount of said powder using said gas. Optionally, the releasing comprises releasing according to breath considerations. Optionally or alternatively, the releasing comprises releasing according to time considerations. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the powder is held in a capsule that has apertures formed therein.

An aerosol-generating system is provided, including an aerosol-generating device including a heater element, and an aerosol-generating article configured to engage with the aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating article including a medicament source, a volatile delivery enhancing compound source, and at least one frangible barrier sealing the medicament source and the volatile delivery enhancing compound source, the aerosol-generating system further including a rupturing portion forming part of the aerosol-generating device or the aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating system being configured to allow relative sliding movement between the rupturing portion and the at least one frangible barrier to rupture the at least one frangible barrier.

A blister piercing element for puncturing the lid of a blister containing a dose of medicament for inhalation by a user is disclosed. It comprises a body having a surface and an opening in the surface for the passage of air, or for the passage of medicament entrained in air, through the body. The body includes a pair of spaced cutting teeth upstanding from the surface in spaced side-by-side relation, each cutting tooth projecting in cantilevered form over said opening and each having a distal cutting edge at a free end remote from said surface. The distal cutting edge of each tooth is configured to initiate a slit in a blister lid when pressure is applied to a blister lid by the teeth and the teeth are spaced from each other so that separate slits cut by the distal cutting edge of each tooth propagate in a direction toward each other between the teeth as the teeth continue to penetrate a blister lid. The pair of spaced cutting teeth form a single slit in a blister lid that defines a single flap which is folded into the blister by the teeth.

A rupturing system for an aerosol-generating system is provided, the rupturing system including a first tube and a second tube being movable relative to each other along a first motion path from a first position to a second position, such that the defined volume is larger in the first position than in the second position; a rupturing member connected to one of the first tube and the second tube, the rupturing member being arranged such that in the first position the rupturing member is contained completely in the defined volume of the first tube and the second tube, and in the second position the rupturing member at least partially protrudes from the defined volume and is configured to rupture a container; and a first wrapper overlying at least a portion of the first tube and being attached to the first tube.

A device for accessing dry powder within a sealed chamber is described. The device includes a hollow housing having a proximal end opening, a primary distal end opening and a secondary distal end opening, at least one wing structure extending from the outer surface of the housing that is positioned distally from the primary distal opening. Also described is a dry powder inhaler having a housing, a penetrating component for accessing dry powder within a sealed chamber, and a mouthpiece, where the mouthpiece is connected to the proximal end opening of the penetrating component, and wherein the at least a portion of the distal end of the penetrating component is positioned within the inhaler housing.

A breath-actuated delivery device includes a mouthpiece through which a subject in use exhales, an air channel which is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece, and a flexible diaphragm which is disposed in the air channel. The diaphragm provides for at least a restricted air flow through the air channel until a predeterminable actuation pressure is developed in the mouthpiece, and, on generation of the predeterminable actuation pressure in the mouthpiece, provides for an air flow through the air channel.

A pharmaceutical composition for inhalation comprising aclidinium in the form of a dry powder of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable dry powder carrier, providing a delivered dose of aclidinium equivalent to about 322 micrograms aclidinium free base.

A dry powder inhaler (1) for pulmonary or nasal use, employing capsules (6) containing a dose of powder for inhalation, comprising four components: a capsule tray (2), a cover (4) and a mouthpiece (8) and an inhaler body (3). Air is drawn by the patient via the mouthpiece (8) which is in communication with the capsule (6) and travels via air paths through the device (1) and through the capsule (6) thereby dispersing and entraining the dose of powder. The capsule (6) is cut by cutting means (18, 19) located on the body (3). The inhaler body (3), the mouthpiece (8) and the cover (4) are provided with hinge segments (20, 35, 42) which when assembled together and the mouthpiece (8) is locked into the body (3), form a single hinge (5) and which allows the cover (4) to freely pivot around the body (3) and the mouthpiece (8).

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.

An inhaler for inhaling a functional substance according to various embodiments may include a first holder, a second holder rotatably connected to the first holder, a piercing member protruding toward an internal space of the second holder, and a functional substance accommodation member disposed in the internal space of the second holder and configured to accommodate the functional substance, wherein at least a portion of the functional substance accommodation member may be open by the piercing member according to a rotation of the second holder.