Oriel Therapeutics, Inc.

Astartein, LLC

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Timothy M Crowder

Anthony James Hickey

Jeffrey Alan Warden

Keith Johnson

Bruce S Ferris

William Myles Riley

Jay Kinsley Fording

Michael Duane Garten

Sean Anderson

Paul Gilbert Rockwell

Mark Ennis Ketner

Vanessa Boekestein

Hickey Anthony J J

A facemask includes a facemask body, a plurality of electrical contacts and a control circuit. The facemask body has an end including an opening and a skin contact perimeter extending along a periphery of the opening, with the skin contact perimeter configured to sealingly engage with a user's face. Each electrical contact is disposed at a respective region of the skin contact perimeter, and each electrical contact is configured to sense when the respective region of the skin contact perimeter is sealingly engaged with a user's face. The control circuit is disposed on the facemask body, and the control circuit is configured to receive a signal from each electrical contact when the respective region of the skin contact perimeter is sealingly engaged with a user's face and to initiate output of an audible stimulus and/or a visual stimulus in response to receiving a concurrent signal from all of the plurality of electrical contacts.

Devices, systems and methods for facilitating facemask compliance

Dry powder inhalers include an elongate body and a disk holding a plurality of doses of a dry powder inhalable product. The inhaler also includes a cover member that is pivotably attached to the elongate body so that it remains attached to the body during normal operational periods of use and moves to a first closed position to overlie the inhalation port at the bottom end portion of the body during periods of non-use and moves to a second open position away from the inhalation port during periods of use to allow a user to access the inhalation port.

Dry powder inhalers

Methods, systems, and computer program products flowably process dry powders using a non-linear vibratory signal individualized or customized to a target dry powder undergoing processing to facilitate fluidic flow through a flow channel.

Apparatus, systems and related methods for processing, dispensing and/or evaluatingl dry powders

The present invention includes dry powder inhalers for dispensing and/or holding inhalant formulated dry powder substances and associated fabrication and dispensing methods that can employ an amplitude modulated non-linear signal comprising a plurality of superimposed frequencies, the frequencies corresponding to a priori flow characteristic frequencies of the dry powder being dispensed. The present invention also includes pocket-sized inhalers with an elastomeric flexible pivoting cover.

Dry powder inhalers, related blister devices, and associated methods of dispensing dry powder substances and fabricating blister packages

Dry powder inhalers with a multi-dose dry powder package for dispensing pharmaceutical grade formulations of inhalable dry powder, include: (a) a blister package comprising a plurality of spaced apart sealed blisters thereon, each blister having a projecting ceiling and a floor defining a blister channel therebetween, the blister channel comprising a dry powder therein; (b) a movable blade cartridge holding a blade at a forward portion thereof; and (c) an extendable mouthpiece attached to the movable blade cartridge. In operation, a user pulls the mouthpiece outward and then pushes the mouthpiece inward to cause the blister package to advance to position a blister in a selected dispensing position in the inhaler and to cause the blade cartridge to move the blade across a blister ceiling held in the dispensing position in the inhaler to thereby open the blister held in the dispensing position.

Dry powder inhalers, related blister package indexing and opening mechanisms, and associated methods of dispensing dry powder substances

Systems for flowably dispensing dry powders include means for generating a first non-linear vibration input signal, the first non-linear input signal comprising a carrier frequency modulated by a plurality of different selected frequencies that correspond to a first dry powder formulation whereby first meted quantities of the first dry powder are serially dispensed to a receiving member. Related devices and computer program products for dispensing dry powders are also described.

Dry powder dose filling systems and related methods

Dry powder blister packages include sealed blisters with a piezoelectric active layer that flexes to vibrate the dry powder in a blister to facilitate active dispersion.

Blister packages with frames and associated methods of fabricating dry powder drug containment systems

Methods, systems, and computer program products flowably dispense meted amounts of dry powders using a flexing piezoelectric layer to transmit a vibratory signal to the dry powder to facilitate fluidic flow through a flow channel. The apparatus for dispensing dry powders can include: (a) an elongate flow channel having a width, length, and depth, the flow channel having axially spaced apart inlet and outlet ports, wherein the elongate flow channel is configured to extend in an angular orientation of between about 10&#x2013;75 degrees relative to the axial direction of flow; (b) a flexible piezoelectric layer configured to overlie the flow channel so that, in operation, the piezoelectric layer is able to flex upwardly away from the lowermost portion of the underlying flow channel; and (c) a signal generator operatively associated with the piezoelectric layer, wherein, in operation, the signal generator is configured to output a signal for flexing the piezoelectric layer in the elongate flow channel.

Apparatus, systems and related methods for dispensing and /or evaluating dry powders

Methods for flowably dispensing dry powders from a hopper having a dispensing port and a dry powder flow path can include: (a) generating a first non-linear vibration input signal, the first non-linear input signal comprising a plurality of different selected frequencies that correspond to a first dry powder formulation; (b) applying the first non-linear vibration input signal to a dispensing hopper having at least one dispensing port while the first dry powder formulation is flowing therethrough; and (c) dispensing a first meted quantity of the first dry powder through the dispensing port to a receiving member. Related devices and computer program products for dispensing dry powders are also described.

Dry powder inhalers (FIG.) with integrated active energy patient assist dispersal systems are configured with control systems which provide adjustable energy output responsive to the user's inspiratory capabilities and/or the flowability of the dry powder being administered. The multi-dose dry drug package (FIG.) a piezoelectric polymer substrate which flexes to deform and provide mechanical oscillation in a selected region of the package corresponding to the dry powder drug which is dispersed during inhalation by a user. Control system (FIG.) employs fuzzy logic to relate in response to a user's inspiratory effort.

Dry powder inhaler devices, multi-dose dry powder drug packages, control systems, and associated methods

The present invention includes dry powder inhalers and associated multi-dose dry powder packages for holding inhalant formulated dry powder substances and associated fabrication and dispensing methods. The multi-dose package can include a platform body comprising at least one thin piezoelectric polymer material layer defining at least a portion of a plurality of spatially separated discrete elongate dry powder channels having an associated length, width and height; and a metallic material attached to selected portions of the piezoelectric polymer material including each of the regions corresponding to the elongate dry powder channels to, in operation, define active energy releasing vibratory channels. In operation, the elongate channels can be selectively individually activated to vibrate upon exposure to an electrical input. The dry powder inhaler includes an elongate body having opposing first and second outer primary surfaces with a cavity therebetween and having opposing top and bottom end portions and a multi-dose sealed blister package holding a plurality of discrete meted doses of a dry powder inhalable product located in the cavity of the elongate body. The inhaler also includes an inhalation port formed in the bottom end portion of the elongate body, the inhalation port configured to be in fluid communication with at least one of the discrete meted doses during use and a cover member that is pivotably attached to the elongate body so that it remains attached to the body during normal operational periods of use and moves to a first closed position to overlie the inhalation port at the bottom end portion of the body during periods of non-use and moves to a second open position away from the inhalation port during periods of use to allow a user to access the inhalation port.

Growing community of inventors

Durham, NC, United States of America

Timothy M Crowder