AU626267B2

AU626267B2 - Medicament container

Info

Publication number: AU626267B2
Application number: AU20430/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert Banziger; Eileen Dixon; Rene Hildenbrand
Original assignee: Ciba Geigy AG
Current assignee: Novartis AG
Priority date: 1987-08-07
Filing date: 1988-08-05
Publication date: 1992-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 2008-08-05
Also published as: AU2043088A; DK173959B1; FI883657A; JPS6470058A; FI92679B; NO177586C; ZA885770B; PT88163A; EP0307352B1; ATE104540T1; JP2791477B2; PT8859T; ES2051313T3; EP0307352A1; CA1331167C; DE3889178D1; NO883494L; NZ225699A; FI92679C; DK439288D0

Abstract

The container for medicaments comprises two spaces for receiving medicaments of two different types of administration. The first space is formed by a bag (10) for receiving, for example, transdermal plasters. The second space contains a press-through package (41), which is fixed in the manner of a sandwich between two parts (32, 34) of the box, with individual dosage containers (42). <IMAGE>

Description

1 ii i Form COM ON LTH F A TRALIA &T6 419e6 7 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIOINAL)

Class Application Number: Lodged: I nt. C:ass 0000 0 ooo o 0 omplete Specification Lodged: Accepted: a000 Published: o 0 o ?iority oo00 00 0 o Related Art: 0 "Q Same of Applicant: Address of Applicant: on Actual Inventor: Address for Service: CIBA-GEIGY AG Klybeckstrasse 141, 4002 Basle, Switzerland EILEEN DIXON, ROBERT BANZIGER and RENE HELDENBRAND ARTHUR S. CAVE 9 t.

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"50 QUBENSR-~RETiMELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, .3000.- Complete Specification for the invention entitled: MEDICAMENT CONTAINER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to US L.,I iSI iri 1

I

i _e II. i 47-16627/+/MA 191r Medicament container The invention relates to a medicament container, particularly one for ft transdermal plasters and other individual-dose forms of administration.

4 t o Transdermal plasters are known forms of administration which release medicamei ts slowly and constantly through the skin. One such known S plaster contains an oestrogen as is described for example in GB-A-2 093 694. It supplies oestrogen transdermally, bypassing the liver, i.e. the "first pass" effect of the liver metabolism is avoided. Preferably, patients who use such plasters should at the same time take tablets with a gestagen. For instance, the patient may need 8 plasters and 12 tablets over a period of 28 days. If tablets and plasters are supplied separately, it is difficult to remember and to know when a new plaster is to be used and when a tablet is to be taken.

The in-ention is to provide a container which makes it easier for the patient to guarantee "synchronous" treatment with plasters and the taking of e.g. tablets.

This problem is solved according to the invention by the design of the container according to claim 1. As well as tablets, individual dose forms of administration are understood to be, inter alia, capsules of hard or flexible gelatine, ampules, suppositories etc.

A number of blister packs or boxes are described in patent documents GB-A-689 631, DE-A-1 803 236, US-A-1,474,248, DE-A-2 516 720, DE-A-2 714 420, CH-A-516 450 and EP-A-210 820. None of these patent documents discloses the combination of a blister pack with a pocket for transdermal plasters.

t i t -2 In patent documents GB-A-1 236 675, GB-A-1 086 653, GB-A-974 179, GB-A-467 606, US-A-4,664,262, US-A-3,743,084 and US-A-3,567,013, various containers for tablets are described. None of these patent documents however disclose a separate pocket for transdermal plasters. None of the containers disclosed in the named patent documents seem to be capable of containing transdermal plasters and tablets at the same time. The base part of the container of US patent document US-A-4,664,262 may possibly contain plasters, but there is no way of removing these again.

The invention is described in greater detail below using an example of embodiment in the form of a box shown in the figures; shown are: Fig. la a blank of the box in a top view, Fig. Ib a strip packing in a perspective view, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the open box and Fig. 3 a perspective view of the closed box.

The box in Figs. 2 and 3 is formed of the "blank" shown in Fig. la and the strip packing 41 shown in Fig. lb. For this purpose, the blank is appropriately folded along the folds indicate. by dot-dashed lines.

Before folding together the parts 32 and 34 along the fold line 33, the strip packing 41 of Fig. Ib is inserted. The holes 35 in the parts 32 and 34 are mizrrr-inverted to each other. The tablet containers 42 have a pattern which is identical to the holes 35, so that the tablet containers and thus the tablets can be placed exactly in the holes 35. After folding, depending on the material, the panels 32 and 34 are glued (card) or bonded (plastic) together or to the inserted strip packing 41. A detachable glued and/or insertion connection may also be selected, which makes possible exchange or replacement of the (used) strip packing. The packing can then be used for several cycles of treatment. To produce detachable glued connections, adhesives are used which on the one hand only provide limited adhesion and on the other hand make it possible to detach and stick together the parts several times.

3- The panels 12 and 14 form the back and front walls of the pocket 10 of the finished box, panels 16 and 18 each form a side wall, panel 20 the base and panels 23 and 36 the lid. The panels 22, 24, 26 and 28 form connection flaps. The panel 38 forms an insertion flap.

To form the pocket 10, first of all the flaps 24 and 26 are folded on to the side wall panels 16 and 18. Then folds are made upwards each at an angle of 90° (vertical to the plane of the blank) along the corresponding folds in the sequence flap 28 base 20 flap 22 side wall 18 front wall 14 side wall 16. The flaps 28 and 22 thereby come to lie against the back wall and are glued or bonded to the latter. The two flaps 24 0 an and 26 in the pocket 10 can now be pressed onto the base 20. They prevent o a gap from forming between the side walls 16, 18 and the base o 9 "o °S The pocket 10 is closed by folding the part 30 with the tablet containers 42 on to the lid 36 and then folding the latter downwards by 180°. In S, this position the lid is secured in its closed position against uninten- S tional opening by inserting the insertion flap 38 into the slit o o9 o Go The pocket 10 holds the number of plasters which are needed for one treatment cycle, and an enclosed slip of paper with all necessary details on the medicaments and taking them. The lid 36 may in addition contain S information on taking them printed in a shortened form or by a label stuck on which make it easier for the patient to synchronise the taking of the medicaments, when for instance a plaster is to be used and when a tablet is to be taken. This type of combination of information and container has the advantage that they cannot be lost. Additional tips, such as 1st day, 2nd day, may also be printed on the part 30 holding the strip packing allocated to the tablet containers 12.

The example of embodiment shown of the medicament container according to the invention represents only one of the possible embodiments of the invention. Many other embodiments are possible. 'he essential thing is that the container should contain two spaces for two different types of forms of administration at the same time, e.g. transdermal plasters on L L_ i i: i i i 4 the one hand and e.g. tablets on the other hand. If the container is formed as a box, naturally other "blanks" than those in Fig. la may also be selected.

In the example of embodiment shown, the space for the plasters is formed by a pocket 10. This space can also be produced in other ways, however, by attaching e.g. the plasters separably and individually to an inner part or an inner wall surface of the packing.

_.i L d

Claims

1. A medicament container which allows a patient to be synchronously treated with two different forms of administration of medicaments, one being transdermal plasters and the other, individual-dose forms, said container comprising a box in the form of a closeable pocket for holding the transdermal plasters, said box being directly connected to a hinged lid, said lid being directly connected to a flap which is foldable inwards, said flap holding individual-dose forms, said individual-dose forms being held in individual containers in the form of a strip packing which is held to the flap, whereby the individual-dose forms are readily deliverable from the individual containers to the patient while the strip packing is held to the flap.

2. A medicament container according to claim 1 wherein the individual-dose forms comprise any one of tablets, capsules, ampules or suppositories.

3. A medicament container according to claim 1 wherein the strip packing can be replaced (after use).

4. A medicament container according to claim 1 wherein the flap which is foldable inwards and the strip packing are linked to the front free edge of the hinged lid.

A medicament container according to claim 1 wherein the flap which is foldable inwards with the strip packing is itself formed by two folding parts which have holes which are arranged in a "pattern" identical to the individual dose containers of the strip packing, and wherein the strip-packing is held tightly in sandwich form between said parts,, 0261e/VMj il~r 1, P i li~l~ O 6

6. A medicament container according to claim 5 wherein the "sandwich" consisting of two folding parts and the strip packing is glued by means of an adhesive, which has limited adhesion.

7. A medicament container according to claim 6, wherein, if the folding parts are coated with adhesive, said coating makes it possible to stick them together and detach them repeatedly.

8. A medicament container according to claim 5 wherein the parts which can be stuck together each have 12 holes.

9. A medicament container according to claim 1 wherein the hinged lid can be fixed in its closed position by a further flap which can be inserted into a slit.

A medicament container according to claim 6 wherein information on use is printed on the inner side of the hinged lid, or a sticker provided with this information is attached to s the container, or to the inner side of the hinged lid.

11. A medicament container according to claim 1 wherein the S box is formed of a single integral blank.

12. A meicament container substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. i. a S13. A method of allowing a patient to be synchronously treated with two different forms of administration of medicament which comprises providing said two forms of medicament to said patient in the container defined in any one of claims 1 to 12, and treating said patient with each said form. DATED this llth day of May, 1992. CIBA-GEIGY AG By Its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISION CAVE S 0261e/VMJ