Nasal aerosol delivery system

Abstract

A nasal delivery device can include a nasal prong and an activation member. The nasal prong can have 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 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 method of delivering a treatment agent from a dose container to a subject using a nasal delivery device, the method comprising:
 inserting the dose container into a disposable drug cartridge, the disposable drug cartridge comprising a nasal prong with a mesh member at a distal end of the nasal prong;   coupling the disposable drug cartridge to the nasal delivery device so that the mesh member is in contact with an ultrasonic actuator; and   applying pressure to a reservoir of the dose container to deliver the treatment agent in a reservoir of the dose container to the mesh member at a controlled rate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 aerosolizing the treatment agent and ejecting an aerosolized plume containing the treatment agent through a distal end opening at the distal end of the nasal prong.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein aerosolizing the treatment agent comprises activating a vibration actuator that is in contact with the mesh member. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the vibration actuator comprises an ultrasonic actuator at least partially located in a handpiece of the nasal delivery device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the ultrasonic actuator comprises a horn actuator that comprises a first portion having a piezoelectric stack within the handpiece and a second portion that comprises a coupling tip that extends into the nasal prong. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the dose container extends over the nasal prong to restrict direct contact between the nasal prong and the subject. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying pressure to the reservoir comprises activating a motor-driven depressor that compresses the reservoir. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying pressure to the reservoir comprises activating a stepper motor of a motor-driven depressor to cause the motor-driven depressor to pivot to engage with the reservoir. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reservoir is a flexible dose bulb. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein activating the motor-driven depressor to compress the reservoir comprises moving a flat portion of the motor-driven depressor into contact with an external surface of the reservoir. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein activating the motor-driven depressor to compress the reservoir comprises moving a curved surface of the motor-driven depressor into contact with an external surface of the reservoir. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein motor-driven depressor engages with the reservoir in a first deployment stage which breaches a seal of the reservoir and in a second deployment stage in which the treatment agent is delivered from the dose container to the mesh member. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising positioning the nasal prong in a nare of the subject. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising determining a desired position of the nasal prong in the nare of the subject with an alignment device of the nasal delivery device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the alignment device further comprises an optical device generally collinearly aligned with a delivery axis of the treatment agent and determining the desired position comprises positioning the optical device to provide a view into the nare of the subject to facilitate alignment of the delivery axis of the treatment agent with a nasal airway of the subject. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the alignment device comprises an optical device comprises an optical eyepiece. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the alignment device comprises a display screen, further comprises displaying an image of an interior of a nostril of the subject on the display screen. 
     
     
         18 . A method of delivering a treatment agent from a dose container to a subject using a nasal delivery device, the method comprising:
 inserting the dose container into a disposable drug cartridge that has a nasal prong with a mesh member at a distal end of the nasal prong, wherein the dose container includes a fluid delivery member comprising a flexible dose bulb and defining a fluid flow path from the flexible dose bulb to a distal end of the fluid delivery member,   coupling the disposable drug cartridge to the nasal delivery device so that the mesh member is in contact with an ultrasonic actuator;   applying pressure to the flexible dose bulb to break a storage seal separating the flexible dose bulb and from the fluid flow path; and   delivering the treatment agent from the flexible dose bulb along the fluid flow path to the mesh member at a controlled rate.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 aerosolizing the treatment agent and ejecting an aerosolized plume containing the treatment agent through a distal end opening at the distal end of the nasal prong.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein aerosolizing the treatment agent comprises activating a vibration actuator that is in contact with the mesh member.