Claims for Patent: 7,811,254

Summary for Patent: 7,811,254

Title:	Autoinjector with needle depth adapter
Abstract:	An autoinjector useful for, inter alia, providing an injection of liquid medicament is disclosed, which includes a needle depth adapter for achieving a desired injection depth.
Inventor(s):	Wilmot; John G. (Mount Airy, MD), Hill; Robert L. (Abingdon, MD)
Assignee:	Meridian Medical Technologies, Inc. (Columbia, MD)
Application Number:	11/788,823
Patent Claims:	1. An autoinjector assembly comprising: an outer tube having a distal end and a proximal end, and having an abutment surface defined on the outer tube; a cartridge assembly having a distal end and a proximal end, moveably situated within the outer tube; a needle attached to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly; a punctureable sheath covering the needle with the sheath being nonremovable and maintained within the autoinjector assembly; an activateable power providing assembly for providing force to move the cartridge assembly to cause the needle to extend out of the proximal end of the outer tube; and a needle depth adapter connected to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly for limiting the extension of the needle out of the proximal end of the outer tube by abutting the abutment surface of the outer tube and thereby providing a depth of injection of from about 0.15 inches to about 0.30 inches; and the needle depth adapter having a constant longitudinal length where the longitudinal length is about the same both prior to and after abutting the abutment surface. 2. The injector of claim 1 wherein the depth of injection is from about 0.20 inches to about 0.25 inches. 3. The injector of claim 1 wherein the depth of injection is limited to a range to provide a subcutaneous injection. 4. The injector of claim 1 wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, polymers, hydrocarbon polymers, deformable metals, cellulosic compositions and combinations thereof. 5. The injector of claim 1 wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of hydrocarbon polymers. 6. The injector of claim 5 wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of rubber. 7. The injector of claim 1 wherein the needle depth adapter is deformable. 8. The injector of claim 1 wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises an abutting side, a distal side, a radial exterior surface, and a radial interior surface. 9. The injector of claim 8 wherein the needle depth adapter is positioned so that the abutting side of the needle depth adapter can abut the abutment surface. 10. The injector of claim 8 wherein the distal side is perpendicular to the radial exterior surface. 11. The injector of claim 8 wherein the distal side is perpendicular to the radial interior surface. 12. The injector of claim 8 wherein the abutting side is perpendicular to the radial exterior surface. 13. The injector of claim 8 wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises a length of the radial exterior surface when measured from the distal side to the abutting side that is about equal to the length of the radial interior surface when measured from the distal side to the abutting side. 14. The injector of claim 8 wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises an exterior diameter of from about 0.4 inches to about 0.6 inches. 15. The injector of claim 8 wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises an interior diameter of from about 0.2 inches to about 0.4 inches. 16. The injector of claim 8 wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises a radial thickness measured from the needle depth adapter's radial exterior surface to the needle depth adapter's radial interior surface of from about 0.05 inches to about 0.18 inches. 17. The injector of claim 8 wherein the needle depth adapter further comprises a radial thickness measured from the needle depth adapter's radial exterior surface to the needle depth adapter's radial interior surface, and a ratio of length of the needle depth adapter when measured from the distal side to the abutting side, to the radial thickness of greater than about 2. 18. The injector of claim 1 further comprising the punctureable needle sheath attached to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly. 19. The injector of claim 18 wherein the punctureable needle sheath is collapsible. 20. The injector of claim 18 wherein the sheath is comprised of materials selected from the group consisting of polymers, metals, cellulosic materials, plastics, and combinations thereof. 21. The injector of claim 1 further comprising a medicament contained within the cartridge assembly to be injected out through the needle. 22. The injector of claim 21 wherein the medicament is selected from the group consisting of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, loperamide hydrochloride, and combinations thereof. 23. The injector of claim 21 wherein the medicament is sumatriptan. 24. An autoinjector assembly comprising: a cylindrical housing having a distal end and a proximal end with a tapered, nonremovable abutment surface; a cartridge assembly moveably situated within the cylindrical housing including a rigid cartridge having a distal end and a proximal end; and a plunger moveably situated within the rigid cartridge; a needle assembly connected to the proximal end of the rigid cartridge including a needle having a piercing end and an attachment end; a needle hub having a first connection point for connecting the needle assembly to the proximal end of the rigid cartridge and a second connection point for receiving the needle's attachment end; and a nonremovable punctureable sheath over the piercing end of the needle which remains substantially within the autoinjector; a power assembly received in the distal end of the cylindrical housing for releasing mechanical energy to move the cartridge assembly with connected needle assembly within the cylindrical housing to cause the needle to extend out of the proximal end of the cylindrical housing; and an annular needle depth adapter received about the needle assembly for limiting the proximal movement of the connected cartridge assembly and needle assembly by abutting the abutment surface resulting in the piercing end of the needle extending to an injection depth; and the needle depth adapter having a longitudinal length and radial thickness with the longitudinal length being about at least twice as large as the radial thickness. 25. The injector of claim 24 wherein the injection depth is of from about 0.015 inches to about 0.30 inches. 26. The injector of claim 25 wherein the injection depth is of from about 0.20 to about 0.25 inches. 27. The injector of claim 24 wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, polymers, hydrocarbon polymers, deformable metals, cellulosic compositions and combinations thereof. 28. The injector of claim 24 wherein the needle depth adapter is comprised of at least one hydrocarbon polymer. 29. The injector of claim 24 further comprising a medicament contained within the rigid cartridge. 30. The injector of claim 29 wherein the medicament is selected from the group consisting of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, loperamide hydrochloride, and combinations thereof. 31. The injector of claim 29 wherein the medicament is sumatriptan. 32. A method of administering an injection comprising the steps of: a) actuating a power assembly and thereby releasing mechanical energy the power assembly in functional contact with a cartridge assembly contained within a cylindrical housing with the cylindrical housing having a distal end and a proximal end; b) moving a nonremovable needle connected to the cartridge assembly and having a proximally extending piercing end, toward the proximal end of the cylindrical housing so that the piercing end of the needle pierces a sheath and extends from the cylindrical housing; and c) limiting the proximal movement of the needle by abutment of a needle depth adapter having a longitudinal length and an abutting surface with the cylindrical housing so that the needle extends to an injection depth with a juncture formed between the longitudinal length and the abutting surface of the needle depth adapter partially deforming against the cylindrical housing. 33. The method of claim 32 wherein step a) further comprises actuating the power assembly by self-administration of the injection by a person receiving the injection. 34. The method of claim 32 wherein in step c) the injection depth is from about 0.15 inches to about 0.30 inches. 35. The method of claim 32 wherein step c) further comprises the needle depth adapter deforming from the abutment of the needle depth adapter with the cylindrical housing. 36. The method of claim 32 further comprising injecting a medicament from the piercing end of the needle at the injection depth. 37. The method of claim 36 wherein the medicament is sumatriptan. 38. The method of claim 36 wherein the medicament is selected from the group consisting of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, loperamide hydrochloride, and combinations thereof. 39. The autoinjector assembly of claim 1 wherein the abutment surface is alternatively located on a cartridge container fit to the outer tube. 40. The autoinjector assembly of claim 24 wherein the tapered abutment surface is alternatively located on a cartridge container fit to the cylindrical housing. 41. An autoinjector assembly comprising: an outer tube having a distal end and a proximal end, and having an abutment surface defined on the outer tube; a cartridge assembly having a distal end and a proximal end, moveably situated within the outer tube; a needle attached to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly; a punctureable sheath covering the needle with the sheath being nonremovable and maintained within the autoinjector assembly; an activateable power providing assembly for providing force to move the cartridge assembly to cause the needle to extend out of the proximal end of the outer tube; and a needle depth adapter connected to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly for limiting the extension of the needle out of the proximal end of the outer tube by abutting the abutment surface of the outer tube and thereby providing a depth of injection of from about 0.15 inches to about 0.30 inches; the needle depth adapter having a constant longitudinal length where the longitudinal length is about the same both prior to and after abutting the abutment surface; and the needle depth adapter having a longitudinal length and radial thickness with the longitudinal length being about at least twice as large as the radial thickness. 42. An autoinjector assembly comprising: an outer tube having a distal end and a proximal end, and having an abutment surface defined on the outer tube; a cartridge assembly having a distal end and a proximal end, moveably situated within the outer tube; a needle attached to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly; a punctureable sheath covering the needle with the sheath being nonremovable and maintained within the autoinjector assembly; an activateable power providing assembly for providing force to move the cartridge assembly to cause the needle to extend out of the proximal end of the outer tube; and a needle depth adapter connected to the proximal end of the cartridge assembly for limiting the extension of the needle out of the proximal end of the outer tube by abutting the abutment surface of the outer tube and thereby providing a depth of injection of from about 0.20 inches to about 0.30 inches. 43. The autoinjector assembly of claim 42 further comprising a medicament contained within the cartridge assembly to be injected out through the needle. 44. The autoinjector assembly of claim 43 wherein the medicament is selected from the group consisting of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, loperamide hydrochloride, and combinations thereof. 45. The autoinjector assembly of claim 43 wherein the medicament is sumatriptan. 46. The autoinjector assembly of claim 41 further comprising a medicament contained within the cartridge assembly to be injected out through the needle. 47. The autoinjector assembly of claim 46 wherein the medicament is selected from the group consisting of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, loperamide hydrochloride, and combinations thereof. 48. The autoinjector assembly of claim 46 wherein the medicament is sumatriptan.