Disclosed herein are diketopiperazine microparticles having a specific surface area of less than about 67 m.sup.2/g. The diketopiperazine microparticle can be fumaryl diketopiperazine and can comprise a drug such as insulin.

A battery-operated foam inhalation device which comprises a cartridge (610) having a liquid for producing a foam and a foam outlet (654). Agitation means agitates the liquid to produce the foam, and the agitation means comprises an electric motor (762) and a battery (760) for energising the electric motor (762). A carrier (672) receives the cartridge (610) and has a carrier foam inlet (680) for fluid communication with the foam outlet (654) of the cartridge (610). A carrier foam outlet (682) dispenses the foam to a user.

A valved container assembly which has a container for containing a fluid, the container extending in an axial direction and having an open front end and a valve disposed in the container. The valved container assembly is configured so that forward axial movement of the valve relative to the container is inhibited. A plunger element is disposed axially rearward of the valve and is axially moveable in the container. The plunger element is configured to increase the pressure of a fluid in a first volume of the container upon forward axial movement relative to the valve. The valve includes a channel bypassing the permanent seal, the channel having a first opening in fluid communication with the atmosphere outside of the valved container assembly and a second opening selectively sealed from the first volume by a resilient seal.

The invention provides an apparatus for use in aerosolized delivery of a powder, and comprises a first chamber containing gas at a first pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, and a second chamber containing gas at a second pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. The apparatus also comprises a powder, contained within the first or second chamber. The first chamber has a first external wall and a separating wall, the separating wall being shared with the second chamber. The first external wall or the separating wall is configured to rupture if the pressure difference across it becomes equal to or greater than a threshold pressure difference. In particular, the apparatus is configured so that the difference between the second pressure and atmospheric pressure is greater than the threshold pressure difference. In an initial state, the apparatus is configured such that the difference between the second pressure and the first pressure is less than the pressure difference required to rupture the separating wall, and the difference between the first pressure and atmospheric pressure is less than the pressure difference required to rupture the first external wall.

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.

Devices, cartridges, and method are described herein for emulating smoking wherein a device generates an aerosol for inhalation by a subject by heating a viscous material that can have a tactile response in the mouth or respiratory tract, while reducing Hoffman analytes and mutagenic compounds delivered to the user as compared to a common tobacco cigarette.

Phyto material tablets, tablet vaporizers, methods and apparatus for forming phyto material tablets. The tablets are formed to increase vaporization efficiency. Tablets can include break regions to facilitate fracturing into multiple pieces for vaporization. The tablets can also include multiple layers of different phyto material mixtures. Compression molds are used to shape the tablets. The compression molds can be provided on a rotational assembly to facilitate rapid manufacturing of multiple tablets. The vaporizers include heating chambers that are configured to increase the surface area of the tablets exposed for vaporization. The heating chambers include compression or fracture members that compress and/or encourage fracturing of the tablets to assist vaporization.

Disclosed herein is a multidrug pain management package to dispense two or more medicaments to treat pain comprising a primary n-polygon, and one or more concentric m-polygons, wherein each side of the n-polygon and m-polygons have at least n or m-medicament chambers capable of holding the two or more medicaments. Also disclosed herein is a multidrug pain management package comprising a disk, wherein the disk is divided into equally spaced regions, and wherein each region has chambers capable of holding medicaments. Also disclosed herein are single formulations to treat pain.

There is described a cartridge for use with an apparatus for heating aerosol generating material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol generating material. The cartridge includes a first body defining a first chamber and aerosol generating material is located within the first chamber. The first body includes a first base including a sheet of heat conductive material and has a first outer surface and at least a major portion of the first outer surface is for contacting a first heating surface of a heater of the apparatus for heating the aerosol generating material within the first chamber.

The present invention relates to an inhaler device for delivering a dose of medicament in dry powder form from a container to a patient in need thereof. The inhaler comprises a swirl chamber in which particles of the medicament entrained in an airflow swirl upon inhalation thereby breaking up the agglomerates into finest dispersed powder.