Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F9/00—Methods or devices for treatment of the eyes; Devices for putting in contact-lenses; Devices to correct squinting; Apparatus to guide the blind; Protective devices for the eyes, carried on the body or in the hand
  • A61F9/0008—Introducing ophthalmic products into the ocular cavity or retaining products therein
  • A61F9/0017—Introducing ophthalmic products into the ocular cavity or retaining products therein implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K9/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by special physical form
  • A61K9/0012—Galenical forms characterised by the site of application
  • A61K9/0048—Eye, e.g. artificial tears
  • A61K9/0051—Ocular inserts or implants
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P27/00—Drugs for disorders of the senses
  • A61P27/02—Ophthalmic agents

Definitions

• glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the United States. About two million Americans have glaucoma, and only about half of those patients with glaucoma are aware of it because the disease is generally asymptomatic. Because of the asymptomatic nature of the disease, patients often have trouble complying with glaucoma therapy. Adding to patient compliance issues is the need to apply eye drops to the front of the eye, which will decrease the ocular pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients. Many patients simply have trouble applying drops to their eyes.
• ocular disorders requiring the application of therapeutic agents to the front of the eye include keratitis sicca, corneal ulcers (bacterial and viral), conjunctivitis, and allergies. Each of these disorders, as well as others, require the application of artificial tears, ointments, antibiotics, and/or antiviral agents to the front of the eye to be treated adequately.
• patients who are post-ocular surgery often need to prevent post-surgical infection or inflammation by applying anti-inflammatory agents and antibiotics to the front of the eye.
• patients affected by the foregoing disorders often have difficulty complying with treatment because of difficulty applying therapeutic agents or eye drops to the front of the eye.
• What is needed is a method, system, and device whereby patients with ocular disorders may comply with treatment requiring the application of therapeutic agents to the front of the eye. What is needed is a method, system, and device whereby patients with ocular disorders can routinely and consistently have medications applied to their eyes without any difficulty, fear, or discomfort of placing eye drops or other medications in their eyes.
• an object of this invention is to provide a method, device, and system for easier, comfortable, and more consistent delivery of opthalmic therapeutic agents to the front of the eye by allowing a physician to place a drug delivery device in the patient's eye.
• the present invention relates to a device containing therapeutic agents.
• the device may be inserted by a physician or eye care professional, rather than by a patient, which will allow the therapeutic agents to be applied to the eye without patient anxiety about inserting eye drops in the eye.
• the device Upon insertion, the device will be placed around the entire circumference of the cornea rather than simply being placed in the lower fornix of the eye. After insertion, the device will be comfortable.
• the inner diameter of the device would be 13-19 mm and the width of the device measured on the external edges will measure 1-5 mm.
• the device may be inserted into a patient's eye on either a long-term (3-6 months) or a short-term basis. After the therapeutic agents in the device are depleted and effective agents are no longer being liberated by the device, a patient may return to his/her physician for insertion of a new device or for replenishment of the device with additional therapeutic agents.
• the device may be totally biodegradable, and if short-term treatment is necessary, a biodegradable device may not be replaced. If long-term treatment is necessary, a biodegradable device may either be replaced or replenished with additional therapeutic agent(s). If the therapeutic agent is a solution or crystalline drug, a drug delivery limiting membrane such as polyvinyl alcohol may be placed on the device.
• the device may be used in conjunction with contact lenses and other ocular appliances.
• Fig. 1 depicts the top view of the device having an elliptical outer edge and an inner edge that is circular in shape.
• Fig. 2 depicts the side view of the device having an elliptical outer edge and an inner edge that is circular in shape.
• Fig. 3 depicts the top view of the device having a toric shape.
• One embodiment of the invention is a device having an outer edge that is elliptical in shape 1 and an inner edge that is circular in shape 2.
• the device is toric in shape.
• the device is C-shaped.
• the device may have a barrier membrane along all or part of the device.
• One or more therapeutic agents are incorporated into the barrier membrane allowing therapeutic agents to be applied to the front of the eye.
• the amount of therapeutic agents delivered to the front of the eye may be varied by varying the dimensions of the barrier membrane.
• the dimensions of the device may range from 13-19 mm in the inner diameter and 1-5 mm in width measured on the outer edges of the device.
• the device may be composed of a soft or rigid polymer.
• the outer edge of the device may be composed partially or entirely of metal to provide structural support for the device.
• the device may be used by being placed along the outer edge of a contact lens or made a part of a contact lens. Jn this embodiment of the invention, the inner diameter and width of the device will vary depending upon the contact lens with which the device is used. If a therapeutic agent is incorporated in a barrier membrane along all or part of the device is soluble or crystalline, the device may include a delivery limiting membrane such as polyvinyl alcohol.
• the device is convex in shape.
• the apex of the convexity 3 of the device touches the inner circular edge of the device.
• the device is combined with one or more therapeutic agents.
• the therapeutic agents may be precipitated within the polymer of which the device may be composed.
• the therapeutic agents will dissolve or hydrolyze such that they will be delivered into the fluid bathing the front of the eye.
• the device is composed of a biodegradable polymer that contains one or more therapeutic agents.
• the therapeutic agents may be loaded into the biodegradable polymer in solution, precipitated in the biodegradable polymer, or chemically bound to the biodegradable polymer. The therapeutic agents will be released into the patient's eye when the biodegradable polymer hydrolyzes or dissolves.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Ophthalmology & Optometry (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Pharmacology & Pharmacy (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Bioinformatics & Cheminformatics (AREA)
• Medicinal Preparation (AREA)
• Prostheses (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Nitrogen And Oxygen Or Sulfur-Condensed Heterocyclic Ring Systems (AREA)

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Related Child Applications (2)

Publications (2)

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• 2007
  • 2007-05-04 JP JP2009509772A patent/JP4829345B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-05-04 WO PCT/US2007/010981 patent/WO2007130663A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2007-05-04 CN CNA200780025097XA patent/CN101484088A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-05-04 US US12/226,963 patent/US8216603B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-05-04 EP EP07776820.8A patent/EP2019646A4/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2012
  • 2012-06-12 US US13/494,252 patent/US8668920B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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