Claims for Patent: 8,511,304

Summary for Patent: 8,511,304

Title:	Medicament dispenser
Abstract:	There is provided a medicament dispenser for use with plural elongate form medicament carriers, each having multiple distinct medicament dose portions carried thereby, the dispenser having a dispensing mechanism for dispensing the distinct medicament dose portions carried by each of the plural medicament carriers. The mechanism comprises a receiving station for receiving each of the plural medicament carriers; a release for releasing a distinct medicament dose portion from each of the plural medicament carriers on receipt thereof by the receiving station; an outlet, positioned to be in communication with the distinct medicament dose portions releasable by said a release; and an indexer for individually indexing the distinct medicament dose portions of each of the plural medicament carriers.
Inventor(s):	Anderson; Gregor John McLennan (Ware, GB), Bonney; Stanley George (Ware, GB), Davies; Michael Birsha (Ware, GB), Lintell; Daniel Thomas De Sansmarez (Ware, GB), Wilson; Alan Anthony (Ware, GB)
Assignee:	Glaxo Group Limited (Greenford, Middlesex, GB)
Application Number:	10/502,519
Patent Claims:	1. An inhalation device comprising: two elongate form medicament carriers, each carrier having multiple distinct medicament dose portions in powder form carried thereby, the medicament dose portions of one carrier containing a medicament active, or a mixture of medicament actives, which is different from that in the medicament dose portions of the other carrier, an actuating member for actuating the inhalation device, a dispensing mechanism which is adapted to operate, upon each actuation of the actuating member, to act upon each medicament carrier together to dispense a single distinct medicament dose portion carried by each medicament carrier, said mechanism comprising, a) at least one receiving station for receiving the medicament carriers; b) a release for releasing in combination a distinct medicament dose portion from each of the medicament carriers on receipt thereof by said at least one receiving station; and c) an indexer for each medicament carrier for individually indexing the distinct medicament dose portions thereof, the indexers being mutually coupled; and an outlet, positioned to be in communication with the combination of distinct medicament dose portions releasable by said release and which a user is able to inhale thereat for simultaneous inhalation of the distinct medicament dose portions releasable by said release. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein a common receiving station receives each of the plural medicament carriers. 3. The device according to claim 1, comprising two distinct receiving stations, each receiving one of the medicament carriers. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said release comprises means to access medicament carried by said medicament carrier by a rupturing, puncturing, tearing or peeling action. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medicament carriers are blister strips which are openable by a peeling action and wherein said release comprises at least one peeler for peeling apart said medicament carriers. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said outlet is a single common outlet, which communicates with the combination of distinct medicament dose portions on their release. 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said common outlet is shaped to encourage mixing of said released medicament dose portions. 8. A method of dispensing a combination product, comprising: (a) providing the device according to claim 1, and; (b) dispensing a combination medicament product therefrom. 9. A method of treating one or more respiratory disorder(s) in a patient in need thereof comprising: (a) providing the device of claim 1; (b) dispensing medicament therefrom, and (c) delivering the dispensed medicament to the patient. 10. The method of treating one or more respiratory disorder(s) of claim 9, wherein the respiratory disorder comprises asthma. 11. The method of treating one or more respiratory disorder(s) of claim 9, wherein the respiratory disorder comprises COPD. 12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the carriers are blister strip form medicament carriers, each having multiple distinct pockets containing the medicament dose portions, wherein said pockets are spaced along the length of and defined between base and lid sheets which are peelably secured to each other, said dispensing mechanism comprising, a) an opening station for receiving a pocket of each of said medicament carriers; b) at least one peeler positioned to engage the base sheet and the lid sheet of a pocket of each carrier which has been received in said opening station for peeling apart the base sheet and lid sheet, to open the pocket of each carrier; wherein the outlet is positioned to be in communication with the opened pockets for a user to access the medicament dose portions from the opened pockets through the outlet; and the indexers are able to individually index the distinct pockets of each of the plural medicament carriers. 13. The device according to claim 12, wherein a common opening station receives each of the blister strips. 14. The device according to claim 12, comprising plural distinct opening stations each for receiving a single blister strip. 15. The device according to claim 12, wherein said opening station is movable within the dispenser. 16. The device according to claim 15, wherein said at least one opening station comprises a chamber that in use, moves to locate adjacent said opened pocket of each blister strip. 17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said chamber is provided to a carrier that is movably mountable along a sprung axis. 18. The device according to claim 12, wherein each blister strip is acted on by common peeler. 19. The device according to claim 12, wherein each blister strip is acted on by a distinct peeler. 20. The device according to claim 12, wherein said at least one peeler includes a lid driver for pulling apart said lid sheet and said base sheet of a pocket that has been received at the at least one opening station. 21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the lid driver comprises a wheel on which the lid sheet is wound up, said wheel being arranged to progressively collapse as the lid sheet becomes wound around it to provide an overall approximately constant effective winding diameter. 22. The device according to claim 20, additionally comprising control means to control the movement of said lid driver, in order to control the length of blister strip peeled thereby. 23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said control means comprises a clutch. 24. The device according to claim 20, additionally comprising compensating means to compensate for any variation in the pulling tension of the lid driver. 25. The device according to claim 24, wherein said compensating means has the form of a flexible member positioned between said at least one opening station and said lid driver. 26. The device according to claim 25, wherein said flexible member comprises a variable length spring. 27. The device according to claim 24, wherein the compensating means comprises a torsion spring mountable at the lid driver. 28. The device according to claim 12, additionally comprising a guide for guiding the lid sheet and base sheet along separate paths subsequent to their peeling apart. 29. The device according to claim 12, wherein each indexer comprises a rotatable index wheel having plural blister pocket-engaging recesses provided thereto. 30. The device according to claim 12, additionally comprising chambers for housing said plural medicament carriers prior to opening, and the lid sheet and base sheet components thereof subsequent to opening. 31. The device according to claim 1, wherein each medicament carrier has the form of a continuous loop. 32. The device according to claim 31, wherein the medicament carrier is in the form of a peelable strip comprising a base sheet and a lid sheet peelably secured thereto, and the base sheet is formed as a continuous loop. 33. The device according to claim 32, wherein the lid sheet is in the form of a continuous loop. 34. The device according to claim 32, wherein the lid sheet is in the form of a strip. 35. The device according to claim 1, wherein each medicament dose portion of each medicament carrier comprises a single active medicament component. 36. The device according to claim 35, wherein said single active medicament components are selected from the group consisting of anti-inflammatories, bronchodilators, and anticholinergics. 37. The device according to claim 36, wherein the anti-inflammatory is a fluticasone ester. 38. The device according to claim 1, wherein said multiple distinct dose portions are arranged in series progression on the carrier such that each dose portion is separately accessible. 39. The device according to claim 38, wherein each medicament carrier is in the form of a strip or tape. 40. The device according to claim 38, wherein each medicament carrier is in the form of a blister pack. 41. The device according to claim 40, wherein said blister pack form medicament carrier comprises a peelable blister strip. 42. The device according to claim 41, wherein said peelable blister strip comprises a base sheet in which blisters are formed to define pockets therein containing the distinct medicament dose portions and a lid sheet that is hermetically sealed to the base sheet except in the region of the blisters in such a manner that the lid sheet and the base sheet can be peeled apart. 43. The device according to claim 42, wherein said lid sheet comprises at least the following successive layers: (a) paper; adhesively bonded to (b) polyester; adhesively bonded to (c) aluminium foil; that is coated with a heat seal lacquer for bonding to the base sheet. 44. The device according to claim 42, wherein the base sheet comprises at least the following successive layers: (a) oriented polyamide (OPA); adhesively bonded to (b) aluminium foil; adhesively bonded to (c) a third layer comprising a polymeric material. 45. The device according to claim 38, wherein each medicament carrier is sized and shaped to carry equivalent dose portions. 46. The device according to claim 38, wherein each medicament carrier is sized and shaped to carry non-equivalent dose portions. 47. The device according to claim 38, wherein the multiple distinct dose portions of each medicament carrier are uniformly spaced. 48. The device according to claim 38, wherein the multiple distinct dose portions of each medicament carrier are arranged such that the spacing between each dose portion progressively increases. 49. The device according to claim 38, wherein the spacing of the multiple distinct dose portions is equivalent for each medicament carrier. 50. The device according to claim 38, wherein the medicament carriers are arranged in the dispenser in `side-by-side` configuration. 51. The device according to claim 38, wherein the medicament carriers are arranged in the dispenser in `double-decker` configuration. 52. The device according to claim 38, wherein the medicament carriers are arranged in the dispenser in `back-to-back` configuration. 53. The device according to claim 35, wherein said single active medicament components are selected from the group consisting of albuterol, salmeterol, fluticasone propionate, formoterol, budesonide and beclomethasone dipropionate and salts or solvates thereof. 54. The device according to claim 35, wherein each medicament dose portion of a first one of the two medicament carriers comprises a bronchodilator as the active medicament component and each medicament dose portion of the other medicament carrier comprises an anti-inflammatory as the active medicament component. 55. The device according to claim 54, wherein said bronchodilator is a beta-agonist and said anti-inflammatory is a steroid. 56. The device according to claim 1, wherein each medicament dose portion of at least one medicament carrier comprises plural active medicament components. 57. The device according to claim 56, wherein each medicament dose portion of a first one of the two medicament carriers comprises a single active medicament component and each medicament dose portion of the other medicament carrier comprises plural active medicament components. 58. The device according to claim 57, wherein said plural active medicaments comprise a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory. 59. The device according to claim 58, wherein said bronchodilator is a beta-agonist and said anti-inflammatory is a steroid. 60. A method of treating one or more respiratory disorder(s) in a patient in need thereof comprising: (a) providing the device of claim 36; (b) dispensing medicament therefrom, and (c) delivering the dispensed medicament to the patient. 61. The method of treating one or more respiratory disorder(s) of claim 60, wherein the anti-inflammatory is a fluticasone ester. 62. The device according to claim 1, wherein the indexers are mutually coupled through a gear train. 63. An inhalation device comprising: plural elongate form medicament carriers, each carrier having multiple distinct medicament dose portions in powder form carried thereby, the medicament dose portions of each carrier containing a medicament active, or a mixture of medicament actives, which is different from that in the medicament dose portions of the other carriers; an actuating member for actuating the inhalation device; a dispensing mechanism which is adapted to operate, upon each actuation of the actuating member, to act upon each medicament carrier together to release a single distinct medicament dose portion carried by each medicament carrier, said mechanism comprising an indexer for each medicament carrier for individually indexing the distinct medicament dose portions thereof, said indexers being mutually coupled; and an outlet, positioned to be in communication with the combination of distinct medicament dose portions when released by said dispensing mechanism and which a user is able to inhale thereat for simultaneous inhalation of the distinct medicament dose portions released by said dispensing mechanism. 64. The device according to claim 63, wherein the indexers are mutually coupled through a gear train. 65. The device according to claim 63, wherein said medicament carriers are blister strips which have blister pockets which contain the distinct medicament dose portions. 66. The device according to claim 53, wherein each indexer comprises a rotatable index wheel having plural blister pocket-engaging recesses provided thereto. 67. The device according to 64, wherein said medicament carriers are blister strips which have blister pockets which contain the distinct medicament dose portions and wherein each indexer comprises a rotatable index wheel having plural blister pocket- engaging recesses provided thereto. 68. The device according to claim 53, wherein the blister strips are openable by a peeling action and wherein said dispensing mechanism comprises at least one peeler for peeling apart said medicament carriers. 69. The device according to claim 67, wherein the blister strips are openable by a peeling action and wherein said dispensing mechanism comprises at least one peeler for peeling apart said medicament carriers. 70. The device according to claim 63, wherein each medicament dose portion of each medicament carrier comprises a single active medicament component. 71. The device according to claim 70, wherein each medicament dose portion of a first one of the two medicament carriers comprises a bronchodilator as the active medicament component and each medicament dose portion of the other medicament carrier comprises an anti-inflammatory as the active medicament component. 72. The device according to claim 71, wherein said bronchodilator is a beta-agonist and said anti-inflammatory is a steroid. 73. The device according to claim 70, wherein said single active medicament components are selected from the group consisting of antiinflammatories, bronchodilators, and anticholinergics. 74. The device according to claim 73, wherein the antiinflammatory is a fluticasone ester.