IP Library › Granted Patent US 12697439
Granted Patent B2
US 12697439 · App. 17/784,373 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Injection device and injection solution transferring system

Inventors: Frederick William Hamlin (Boston, MA); Anthony Jonathan Bedford (Cambridge, GB); Duncan Aleck Bishop (Cambridgeshire, GB); Andrew Murray Gow (Wellington, NZ); David Stuart Harris (Cambridge, GB); Nicholas Lee Hawson (Brier, WA); Jean-Paul Kleeven (Wijchen, NL); Dominic Lloyd-Lucas (Cambridge, GB); David Mucientes (Basel, CH); Martin Joseph Murphy (Cambridge, GB); Stephen Paboojian (Basel, CH)
Assignee: Novartis AG
A61M5/31501A61M5/3137A61M5/31583A61M5/31595A61M2005/3114A61M2005/3139A61M2210/0612
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12697439
App. No.
17/784,373
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an injection device, in particular a micro dose injection device such as, for example, an ophthalmic injection device. An example injection device comprises a rotatable plunger; a solution receptacle having a first end configured to slidably receive the rotatable plunger and a second end configured to dispense solution contained in the solution receptacle; a first stop member configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from being slidably displaced to a second position while the rotatable plunger is at a first position and in a first orientation; and a second stop member configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from rotating in a first direction about a first axis while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, wherein slidably displacing the rotatable plunger from the first position to the second position dispenses a quantity of the solution contained in the solution receptacle.

Claims (57)

1 . A solution dispensing device, comprising:

a rotatable plunger;

a solution receptacle having a first end configured to slidably receive the rotatable plunger and a second end configured to dispense solution contained in the solution receptacle, wherein the solution dispensing device is configured to:

allow the rotatable plunger, while the rotatable plunger is in a first orientation, to be slidably displaced along a first axis to be positioned at a first position relative to the solution receptacle, and

allow the rotatable plunger, while the rotatable plunger is in a second orientation, to be slidably displaced along the first axis from the first position to a second position relative to the solution receptacle, wherein:

the second position is closer to the second end of the solution receptacle than the first position, and

slidably displacing the rotatable plunger from the first position to the second position in a distal direction dispenses a quantity of the solution contained in the solution receptacle;

a housing configured to releasably connect to the solution receptacle, wherein the housing includes a plunger through-hole that is configured to slidably receive the rotatable plunger and to allow the solution receptacle to slidably receive the rotatable plunger;

a first stop member configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from being slidably displaced to the second position while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, wherein:

the first stop member projects from a top surface of the housing in a proximal direction away from the second end and along the first axis, wherein the top surface of the housing faces away from the second end of the solution receptacle, and

the first stop member has a first height relative to the top surface of the housing; and

a second stop member configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from rotating in a first direction about the first axis while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, wherein:

the second stop member projects from the top surface of the housing in the proximal direction away from the second end and along the first axis, and

the second stop member has a second height relative to the top surface of the housing that is greater than the first height.

2 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a third stop member configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from rotating in a second direction about the first axis while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the second orientation.

3 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , and wherein the quantity of the solution that is dispensed when the rotatable plunger is slidably displaced from the first position to the second position is based at least in part on the first height.

4 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the solution receptacle includes a clip receiver element,

wherein the housing includes a housing clip, and

wherein the housing clip releasably connects to the clip receiver element.

5 . The solution dispensing device of claim 4 , wherein the first end of the solution receptacle includes a flange element, and wherein the housing is configured to slidably receive the flange element when the housing clip releasably connects to the clip receiver element.

6 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable plunger includes a flange,

wherein the flange contacts the first stop member and prevents the rotatable plunger from being slidably displaced to the second position while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, and

wherein the flange contacts the second stop member and prevents the rotatable plunger from rotating about the first axis in the first direction while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation.

7 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein the solution dispensing device is configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from rotating about the first axis until the rotatable plunger is positioned at the first position.

8 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein the quantity of the solution dispensed when the rotatable plunger is slidably displaced from the first position to the second position is selected from a group consisting of 5 μL, 10 μL, and 20 μL.

9 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the solution receptacle is coated with a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) coating, and wherein the PECVD coating imparts a lubricity layer on the inner surface.

10 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the solution receptacle is coated with a lubricant coating created from a PECVD process that uses octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) as a precursor.

11 . The solution dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein the solution receptacle is manufactured via a PECVD process that uses radiofrequency power comprised of silicon, carbon, and oxygen under at least ISO class 8 conditions while in operation and ISO class 7 conditions at resting according to ISO 14644.

12 . A method for dispensing solution from a solution dispensing device, the solution dispensing device having a rotatable plunger, a solution receptacle, a housing, a first stop member, and a second stop member, the method comprising:

slidably inserting the rotatable plunger into a first end of the solution receptacle, wherein a second end of the solution receptacle is configured to dispense the solution contained in the solution receptacle;

while the rotatable plunger is in a first orientation, slidably displacing the rotatable plunger along a first axis until the rotatable plunger is in a first position relative to the solution receptacle, wherein:

the housing is configured to releasably connect to the solution receptacle, wherein the housing includes a plunger through-hole that is configured to slidably receive the rotatable plunger and to allow the solution receptacle to slidably receive the rotatable plunger;

the first stop member prevents the rotatable plunger from being slidably displaced to a second position relative to the solution receptacle that is closer to the second end of the solution receptacle than the first position while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, wherein:

the first stop member projects from a top surface of the housing in a proximal direction away from the second end and along the first axis, wherein the top surface of the housing faces away from the second end of the solution receptacle, and

the first stop member has a first height relative to the top surface of the housing; and

the second stop member prevents the rotatable plunger from rotating in a first direction about the first axis while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, wherein:

the second stop member projects from the top surface of the housing in the proximal direction away from the second end and along the first axis, and

the second stop member has a second height relative to the top surface of the housing that is greater than the first height;

rotating the rotatable plunger in a second direction about the first axis until the rotatable plunger is in a second orientation at the first position; and

while the rotatable plunger is in the second orientation, slidably displacing the rotatable plunger along the first axis until the rotatable plunger is in the second position relative to the solution receptacle, wherein slidably displacing the rotatable plunger from the first position to the second position in a distal direction dispenses a quantity of the solution contained in the solution receptacle.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a third stop member prevents the rotatable plunger from rotating in the second direction about the first axis while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the second orientation.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the quantity of the solution that is dispensed when the rotatable plunger is slidably displaced from the first position to the second position is based at least in part on the first height.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the rotatable plunger includes a flange,

wherein the flange contacts the first stop member and prevents the rotatable plunger from being slidably displaced to the second position while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation, and

wherein the flange contacts the second stop member and prevents the rotatable plunger from rotating about the first axis in the first direction while the rotatable plunger is at the first position and in the first orientation.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution dispensing device is configured to prevent the rotatable plunger from rotating about the first axis until the rotatable plunger is positioned at the first position.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the quantity of the solution dispensed when the rotatable plunger is slidably displaced from the first position to the second position is selected from a group consisting of 5 μL, 10 μL, and 20 μL.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution receptacle contains between 100 μL to 1000 μL of the solution.

19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the quantity of the solution dispensed when the rotatable plunger is slidably displaced from the first position to the second position is between 2.5% and 12.5% of the solution contained in the solution receptacle.

20 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution contains a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist.

21 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution contains Beovu® (brolucizumab).

22 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution contains Eylea® (aflibercept).

23 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution contains Luxturna® (Voretigene neparvovec).

24 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the solution contains nucleic acids.

25 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the method is used for a pediatric ophthalmic injection.

26 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the method is used for gene therapy.