Claims for Patent: 11,969,544

Summary for Patent: 11,969,544

Title:	Inhalers and airflow adaptors therefor
Abstract:	The present disclosure describes an inhaler for the inhalation of powder medication. The inhaler has a body and at least one reservoir containing powder medication, the body having an air inlet and an outlet for the transmission to a patient of air entering the body through the air inlet and powder medication. The outlet has a total cross-sectional area for flow which is more than 80% of the total cross-sectional area of the air inlet.
Inventor(s):	Daniel Buck
Assignee:	Norton Waterford Ltd
Application Number:	US16/476,390
Patent Claims:	1. An inhaler for the inhalation of powder medication, the inhaler having an inhaler body and at least one reservoir containing powder medication, the inhaler body defining an air inlet for allowing air to enter the inhaler body and an outlet for transmission to a patient of air entering the inhaler body through the air inlet and powder medication, the outlet having a total cross-sectional area for flow which is more than 80% and less than 100% of a total cross-sectional area of the air inlet, the outlet comprising a primary outlet for transmitting dry powder medicament entrained in air and at least one secondary outlet for transmitting a bypass flow of air alone without medicament, the inhaler further comprising a deagglomerator, located within the inhaler body, the deagglomerator including a swirl chamber, at least one swirl chamber inlet port for transmitting air without powder medicament, and a single swirl chamber medicament inlet for transmitting air with powder medicament, wherein the air inlet defined by the inhaler body is a sole air inlet shared by all of the primary outlet, the at least one secondary outlet, the at least one swirl chamber inlet port for transmitting air without powder medicament, and the swirl chamber medicament inlet for transmitting air with powder medicament, and wherein a single delivery passageway leads from the air inlet of the inhaler to the swirl chamber medicament inlet of the deagglomerator. 2. The inhaler of claim 1 in which the total cross-sectional area of the outlet is more than 85% and less than 100% of the total cross-sectional area of the air inlet. 3. The inhaler of claim 1 in which the primary outlet is substantially circular. 4. The inhaler of claim 1 in which the primary outlet has a cross-sectional area of 30 to 50 mm2. 5. The inhaler of claim 4 in which the total cross-sectional area of all said secondary outlets is 5 to 15 mm2. 6. The inhaler of claim 1 in which the air inlet is generally elliptical in shape and has at least an upper or lower edge portion thereof which is elliptical. 7. The inhaler of claim 1, wherein an area of flow through the at least one swirl chamber inlet port combined with the swirl chamber medicament inlet defines a combined cross-sectional area which is less than the total cross-sectional area of the air inlet to the body. 8. The inhaler of claim 7 in which the combined cross-sectional area is 3 to 5 times larger than the total cross-sectional area of all said secondary outlets. 9. The inhaler of claim 1 in which a cone angle of a plume of substance emitted from the inhaler is less than 35 degrees. 10. The inhaler of claim 1 in which a cross sectional area at a distance 3 cm away from the outlet of a plume of substance emitted from the inhaler is less than 6 cm2. 11. The inhaler of claim 1 in which at a distance 3 cm away from the outlet, a ratio of maximum to minimum cross-dimensions of a plume of substance emitted from the inhaler is less than 1.8. 12. The inhaler of claim 1 comprising a dry powder medicament. 13. The inhaler of claim 1 in which the air inlet, the primary outlet and the at least one secondary outlet are configured such that delivery of Stage 4 particles in a Copley Scientific Next Generation Impactor test at pressure drops of 2 kPa, 4 kPa and 6 kPa varies between a most weight of particles and least weight of particles and the most weight of particles is less than 50% more than the least weight. 14. The inhaler of claim 1 in which the primary and the at least one secondary outlets are configured such that delivery of Stage 5 particles in a Copley Scientific Next Generation Impactor test at pressure drops of 2 kPa, 4 kPa and 6 kPa varies between a most weight of particles and least weight of particles and the most weight of particles is less than 20% more than the least weight. 15. A method of treating a respiratory disease or disorder comprising actuating the inhaler of claim 1 to administer a therapeutically effective amount of one or more active ingredients. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the inhaler is a dry powder inhaler and the step of actuating the inhaler comprises inhaling through the inhaler. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the respiratory disease or disorder is one or more of asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more active ingredients includes one or more of budesonide, formoterol fumarate, albuterol, salbutamol sulphate, fluticasone propionate and salmeterol, and/or fluticasone propionate and salmeterol xinafoate. 19. An inhaler for the inhalation of powder medication, the inhaler having an inhaler body and at least one reservoir containing powder medication, the inhaler body defining an air inlet and an outlet for transmission to a patient of air entering the inhaler body through the air inlet and powder medication, the outlet comprising a primary outlet for transmitting dry powder medicament entrained in air and at least one secondary outlet for transmitting a bypass flow of air, the inhaler further comprising a deagglomerator, located within the inhaler body, the deagglomerator including a swirl chamber, at least one swirl chamber inlet port for transmitting air without powder medicament, and a single swirl chamber medicament inlet for transmitting air with powder medicament, wherein the air inlet defined by the inhaler body is a sole air inlet shared by all of the primary outlet, the at least one secondary outlet, the at least one swirl chamber inlet port for transmitting air without powder medicament, and the swirl chamber medicament inlet for transmitting air with powder medicament, wherein a single delivery passageway leads from the air inlet of the inhaler to the swirl chamber medicament inlet of the deagglomerator, and wherein the primary and secondary outlets being configured to produce a plume of particulate substance emitted from the inhaler, said plume having one or more of a cone angle of the plume which is less than 35 degrees, a plume angle of from about 95 degrees to about 100 degrees, and/or, at a plane 3 cm away from the outlet, a cross sectional area which is less than 6 cm2 or has a ratio of maximum to minimum cross-dimensions which is less than 1.8.