Auto-injector

US10258740B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• UCB BIOPHARMA SRL · BE

Inventors

• Martin John McLoughlin · Burnham, GB
• Darrell P. Morgan · Sonning Common, GB
• Kevin Richard Lozeau · Portland, US
• Agnete Enga · Oslo, NO
• Eric Freitag · New York, US
• Daniel Formosa · Piermont, US
• Michael Schumann · Santa Monica, US
• Brian Lipford · Bel Air, US
• Jake Cowperthwaite · New Limerick, US
• Alex Flamm · Baltimore, US
• Ilario Melzi · Milano, IT
• Jonathan Bodnar · Addison, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 4, 2012
• Grant date: Apr 16, 2019
• Expiry date: Nov 20, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F04C2270/0421
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Provided is a cassette unit suitable for use with an auto-injector having an electrically powered drive unit. The cassette unit has a housing defining a cassette unit housing cavity and a needle projection aperture. The cassette unit housing cavity is arranged for receipt of a syringe. The syringe has a barrel for containing a volume of a liquid drug formulation, the barrel defining a flange at the rear end thereof and a forward shoulder at the forward end thereof; a hollow needle at a front end of the barrel, the hollow needle defining a needle tip; and a plunger that is axially movable within the barrel. The cassette unit includes, in contact with the plunger and axially movable within the barrel, a plunger slaving part arranged such that when a drive load is applied to a rear drive-receiving face thereof the drive load is evenly transmitted to the plunger.