Nasal aerosol delivery system

Abstract

A nasal delivery device can include a nasal prong and an activation member. The nasal prong can comprises an opening at a top and bottom portion of the prong to allow for the passage of an aerosolized treatment agent through the nasal prong. The activation member can be positioned on the nasal delivery device at a location that is spaced apart from the subject's oral cavity when the nasal prong is received into the nostril of the subject. The activation member can be configured to detect a desired exhalation state of the subject and upon detection of the desired exhalation state, the activation member activates the delivery of the aerosolized treatment agent.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A nasal delivery device for delivering an aerosolized treatment agent to the subject, wherein the nebulizing device is configured to aerosolize the treatment agent and generally deliver the aerosolized treatment agent along a delivery axis into the nostril of the patient, further comprising an alignment device for aligning the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent with a nasal airway of the subject. 
     
     
         2 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the alignment device comprises a light source and a light detector that are generally coaxially aligned, the light detector detecting an amount of light reflected from a surface in the subject's nostril. 
     
     
         3 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 2 , wherein upon detection of an amount of reflected light that is greater than a predetermined amount, the alignment device indicates that the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent is not aligned with the nasal airway, and upon detection of an amount of reflected light that is less than a predetermined amount, the alignment device indicates that the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent is aligned with the nasal airway. 
     
     
         4 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the alignment device comprises a light source that directs light into the nostril of the subject to facilitate alignment of the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent with the nasal airway of the subject. 
     
     
         5 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 4 , wherein the alignment device comprises an optical device generally collinearly aligned with the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent to provide a view into the nostril of the patient to facilitate alignment of the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent with the nasal airway of the subject. 
     
     
         6 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 5 , wherein the optical device comprises an eyepiece at one end and a wide angle lens at another end. 
     
     
         7 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 5 , wherein the eyepiece and the lens are not collinearly arranged. 
     
     
         8 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 5 , wherein the optical device comprises a display screen and a camera. 
     
     
         9 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 8 , wherein the camera is positioned to receive images of an interior of the nostril through the nasal prong. 
     
     
         10 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 8 , wherein the display screen is integrally formed with the nasal delivery device. 
     
     
         11 . A nasal delivery device for delivering an aerosolized treatment agent to a subject, the device comprising:
 a nebulizing device configured to aerosolize a treatment agent and deliver the aerosolized treatment agent along a predetermined delivery axis into a nostril of a subject; and   an alignment device for aligning the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent with a nasal airway of the subject.   
     
     
         12 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 11 , wherein the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent is at least partly defined by a nasal prong through which the aerosolized treatment agent is delivered. 
     
     
         13 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 11 , wherein the alignment device comprises a light source and a light detector that are generally coaxially aligned, and the light detector detects an amount of light reflected from a surface in the subject's nostril to determine whether the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent is aligned with the nasal airway. 
     
     
         14 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 12 , wherein the alignment device comprises a light source that directs light into the nostril of the subject to facilitate alignment of the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent with the nasal airway of the subject. 
     
     
         15 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 14 , wherein the alignment device further comprises an optical device generally coaxially aligned with the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent to provide a view into the nostril of the patient to facilitate alignment of the delivery axis of the aerosolized treatment agent with the nasal airway of the subject. 
     
     
         16 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 15 , wherein the optical device comprises a display screen and a camera. 
     
     
         17 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 16 , wherein the camera is positioned to receive images of an interior of the nostril through the nasal prong. 
     
     
         18 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 17 , wherein the display screen is integrally formed with the nasal delivery device. 
     
     
         19 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 11 , wherein the nebulizing device comprises a motion transmitting member configured to transmit an oscillatory force in the aerosolizing mode, the force being transmitted to a surface of a disposable aerosolizing device that is received in the nasal delivery device, and the disposable aerosolizing device contains a treatment agent. 
     
     
         20 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 19 , wherein the disposable aerosolizing element comprises a storage reservoir, a dispensing reservoir, and a temporary barrier restricting flow between the external and dispensing reservoirs, the temporary barrier being removable upon application of a physical force to the storage reservoir. 
     
     
         21 . The nasal delivery device of  claim 20 , wherein the disposable aerosolizing element comprises an optical port, wherein an optical device can be positioned into or adjacent the optical port to receive an unobstructed view through the disposable aerosolizing element.