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EP-3906086-B1 - DEVICE FOR DELIVERING AN INGESTIBLE MEDICAMENT INTO THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT OF A USER

EP3906086B1EP 3906086 B1EP3906086 B1EP 3906086B1EP-3906086-B1

Inventors

  • BEN-TSUR, Lior
  • MOLNAR, Shai
  • SHABBAT, RONNY

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20200102

Claims (15)

  1. A device (100) for delivering an ingestible medicament of a medicament tablet (102) into the gastrointestinal tract of a user, the device including: a vibrating ingestible capsule (110) including: a housing (112); a vibrating agitation mechanism (114) disposed within said housing and adapted in a vibration mode of operation, to exert forces on said housing to attain a housing vibrational frequency within a range of 10Hz to 650Hz, thereby to exert vibrations on an environment surrounding the vibrating ingestible capsule; a power supply (118) disposed within said housing and adapted to power said vibrating agitation mechanism; and a control element (116) adapted to activate said vibrating agitation mechanism to be operative in said vibration mode of operation; a hollow medicament compartment housing (120), associated with said housing, and having at least one aperture (124) formed in said medicament compartment housing; and at least one biasing mechanism (126) adapted, when the medicament tablet is disposed within a hollow (122) of said medicament compartment housing, to continually bias said medicament tablet toward said housing, while the ingestible medicament from the medicament tablet is delivered to the environment surrounding the hollow, wherein said hollow of said medicament compartment housing is dimensioned and configured to have said medicament tablet disposed therein, wherein said at least one aperture is dimensioned and configured to enable fluid communication between an environment surrounding said medicament compartment housing and said hollow, wherein said at least one aperture is dimensioned and configured such that, when the medicament tablet is disposed within said hollow and said device is in the gastrointestinal tract of the user, the ingestible medicament of the medicament tablet enters said environment surrounding said medicament compartment housing for delivery thereof to the body of the user, and wherein at least one vibration parameter of said vibrating ingestible capsule is set so as to promote absorption of the ingestible medicament into the bloodstream of the user.
  2. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one biasing mechanism comprises at least one longitudinal biasing mechanism (226) adapted to bias the medicament tablet (202) by application of pressure along a longitudinal axis of the medicament tablet.
  3. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one biasing mechanism comprises at least one radial biasing mechanism (254) adapted to bias the medicament tablet (252) by application of radial pressure along a perimeter of the medicament tablet.
  4. The device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said housing of said vibrating ingestible capsule includes an attachment mechanism (214, 216) and said medicament compartment housing includes a corresponding attachment mechanism (228, 230), for mutual attachment of said vibrating ingestible capsule to said hollow medicament compartment housing.
  5. The device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said medicament compartment housing is at least partially attached to said vibrating ingestible capsule.
  6. The device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said medicament compartment housing (320) at least partially envelops said vibrating ingestible capsule (310).
  7. The device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said hollow of said medicament compartment housing has a volume in the range of 200mm 3 to 800mm 3 .
  8. The device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said at least one aperture is dimensioned and configured such that said medicament tablet, while whole, cannot be removed from said hollow.
  9. The device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said at least one aperture is dimensioned and configured to enable insertion of said medicament tablet, via said at least one aperture, into said hollow.
  10. The device of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, in use, said at least one biasing mechanism is adapted to continue biasing the medicament tablet toward said housing, while the ingestible medicament from the medicament tablet is delivered to said environment surrounding said hollow.
  11. The device of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said medicament compartment housing is at least one of the following: biodegradable; digestible by the gastrointestinal tract of the user; and flexible.
  12. The device of any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising said medicament tablet including said ingestible medicament.
  13. The device of claim 12, wherein said control element is adapted to control a timing or activation delay of said vibration mode of operation such that said vibration mode of operation at least partially transpires within at least one of an estimated absorption time period and an actual absorption time period of the ingestible medicament released from the medicament tablet within the gastrointestinal tract of the user.
  14. The device of claim 12 or claim 13, wherein when said vibrating agitation mechanism is in said vibration mode of operation, said housing exerts vibrations onto the medicament tablet.
  15. The device of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein said at least one vibration parameter of said vibrating ingestible capsule is set so as to promote absorption of the ingestible medicament into the bloodstream of the user by at least one of: breaking down the medicament tablet; promoting emulsification of the ingestible medicament; increasing a surface area of a hydrophobic phase of the ingestible medicament for absorption thereof; and increasing exposure of the ingestible medicament to its surrounding environment.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application gains priority from GB Patent Application Number 1900082.7 filed January 3, 2019 and entitled DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING AN INGESTIBLE MEDICAMENT INTO THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT OF A USER. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to devices and methods for delivery of an ingestible medicament into the body of a user, and specifically to devices and methods for such delivery of an ingestible medicament which include a vibrating capsule. Patent document US 2005/0177069 A1 discloses a capsule medical device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a device for delivering an ingestible medicament of a medicament tablet into the gastrointestinal tract of a user according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure which does not form part of the invention as claimed, there is provided a method of delivering an ingestible medicament into a gastrointestinal tract of a user, the method including: providing to the user the device as described hereinabove, for ingestion by the user;following the user ingesting the device, controlling the vibrating ingestible capsule such that the vibration mode of operation at least partially transpires within at least one of an estimated absorption time period and an actual absorption time period of the ingestible medicament within the gastrointestinal tract of the user. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure which does not form part of the invention as claimed, there is provided a method of delivering an ingestible medicament into a gastrointestinal tract of a user, the method including: providing to the user the device as described herein;inserting into the hollow of the medicament compartment housing the medicament tablet; andfollowing the user ingesting the device having the medicament tablet disposed in the hollow, controlling the vibrating ingestible capsule such that the vibration mode of operation at least partially transpires within at least one of an estimated absorption time period and an actual absorption time period of the ingestible medicament within the gastrointestinal tract of the user. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure which does not form part of the invention as claimed, there is provided a hollow medicament delivery compartment adapted to be associated with a vibrating ingestible capsule for delivery of an ingestible medicament of a medicament tablet into the gastrointestinal tract of a user, the hollow medicament delivery compartment being dimensioned and configured to have the medicament tablet disposed therein, and including at least one aperture formed in the hollow medicament delivery compartment, wherein the at least one aperture is dimensioned and configured to enable fluid communication between an environment surrounding the hollow medicament delivery compartment. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure which does not form part of the invention as claimed, there is provided a vibrating ingestible capsule adapted to be associated with a hollow medicament delivery compartment for delivering an ingestible medicament of a medicament tablet into the gastrointestinal tract of a user, the vibrating ingestible capsule including: a housing including an attachment mechanism adapted for mutual attachment to a corresponding attachment mechanism of the hollow medicament delivery compartment;a vibrating agitation mechanism disposed within the housing and adapted such that, in a vibration mode of operation, the housing exerts vibrations on an environment surrounding the vibrating gastrointestinal capsule;a power supply disposed within the housing and adapted to power the vibrating agitation mechanism; anda control element adapted to activate the vibrating agitation mechanism to be operative in the vibration mode of operation,wherein at least one vibration parameter of the vibrating agitation mechanism is set so as to promote absorption of the ingestible medicament into the bloodstream of the user. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure which does not form part of the invention as claimed, there is provided a method for delivering an ingestible medicament of a medicament tablet into the gastrointestinal tract of a user, the method including: providing a vibrating ingestible capsule including: a housing;a vibrating agitation mechanism disposed within the housing and adapted such that, in a vibration mode of operation, the housing exerts vibrations on an environment surrounding the vibrating gastrointestinal capsule;a power supply disposed within the housing and adapted to power the vibrating agitation mechanism; anda control element adapted to activate the vibrating agitation mechanism to be operative in the vibration mode of operation; andassociating a hollow medicament compartment housi