EP1129786A2 — Drug delivery system including holder and drug container

USPTO Abstract

A drug delivery system for administering preset doses of a substance such as a drug, vaccine or the like is provided. The drug delivery system includes a holder and a pre-filled drug container such as a syringe which is securely retained in the holder. The drug container includes a barrel for containing the substance, a movable stopper situated within the barrel, and a blunt end having an opening through which the substance within the barrel can be expelled. The holder includes a distal portion and a proximal portion, each configured to accommodate the drug container, with the distal portion being able to be assembled to the proximal portion, which acts as a plunger rod during activation of the delivery system. A plurality of slots are provided for controlling the delivery of a substance and extend axially along at least one portion of the holder whereby upon activation of the system, the portions of the holder move towards one another upon the application of a minimum force and the stopper moves a preselected axial distance to expel at least a portion of the substance from the drug container. One application is to a nasal drug container, where approximately equal doses of the substance are desired to be administered to each nostril of the patient.