Methods of electrotransport drug delivery

Abstract

A reservoir and a family of reservoirs are provided which are designed to be used with a single controller to provide a wide range of therapeutic drug delivering regimens while maintaining many of the same reservoir configurations and drug formulations. A method of making a reservoir and a family of reservoirs and incorporating them into an electrotransport system is disclosed.

1 . A method for administering an effective amount of a therapeutic agent to a patient in need of such treatment by electrotransport comprising: 
 selecting an effective dosage and delivery rate of at least one therapeutic agent for a patient;    providing an electrotransport controller for delivering a pre-selected current output, the controller including a coupler for attaching and communicating to a reservoir containing a therapeutic agent;    selecting a reservoir from a family of reservoirs, each reservoir having at least a predetermined quantity of a therapeutic agent sufficient to achieve the effective dosage of the agent wherein each of the reservoirs has body contacting surface area different from the body contacting surface area of another reservoir in the family, said reservoirs each having a coupler for communicatively attaching to said controller and an electrode;    coupling the selected reservoir to the controller so that said output is in electrical contact with the electrode of the selected reservoir so that the reservoir is communicatively attached to said controller to provide an electrotransport delivery system;    placing the body contacting surface area of the selected reservoir in electrical contact with the skin of the patient to provide the selected effective dosage and delivery rate for the patient; and    activating the electrotransport delivery system to administer the therapeutic agent to the patient through the skin surface.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing a signal from the selected reservoir to the controller related to the dosage of the therapeutic agent to be delivered, the controller selecting a current output in response to the signal.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the signal is selected from the group consisting of a capacitance signal, an optical signal and a coded electromechanical signal.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein placing the body contacting surface area of the selected reservoir in electrical contact with the skin further comprises applying said electrotransport device to the patient's skin by application of a sufficient pressure to adhere a selectively removable biocompatible adhesive surface to the patient's skin so that the body contacting surface of each of the selected reservoir is in substantially uniform electrically conductive contact with the patient's skin and said electrotransport system is retained on the skin.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said activating step further comprises pressing on a momentary contact switch, thereby causing the controller to begin delivering the effective amount of therapeutic agent to the patient.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein activating the electrotransport delivery system further comprises noticing a confirmation signal from said controller.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said the confirmation signal is selected from the group consisting of an audible tone, a visible light and a combination thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising transmitting the output of the controller to the electrode of the reservoir by releasably electrically attaching the output of the controller with a pressure sensitive electrically conductive adhesive.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein of selecting an effective dosage of at least one therapeutic agent further comprises selecting a different therapeutic agent for each reservoir in the family.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the body contacting surface area of at least one of the reservoirs is adjustable.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said step of selecting said different therapeutic agent for each reservoir further comprises selecting from said controller a first delivery output to one of the reservoirs and a second delivery output to another of the reservoirs, so that different the therapeutic agents selected for each reservoir can be delivered in an effective amount for each agent.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of selecting an effective dosage of at least one therapeutic agent further comprises selecting the same therapeutic agent for each reservoir.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the body contacting surface area of at least one of the reservoirs is adjustable.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein providing an electrotransport controller for delivering a pre-selected current output from said controller further comprises selecting a first delivery output to one of the family of reservoirs and a second delivery output to another of the family reservoirs, so that one pre-selected delivery rate of the dosage from one reservoir can be supplemented by an another output dose delivery rate from the other reservoir.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising removing said electrotransport system from the skin of the patient when said administering step of the selected dose is completed.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising separating the selected reservoir from the controller; cleaning said controller; attaching an unused reservoir having at least a predetermined quantity of a therapeutic agent sufficient to achieve a pre-selected therapeutic dosage of the agent to the controller rendering the electrotransport system ready for reuse.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic agent is selected from the group consisting of fentanyl, sufentanil and salts thereof.