Claims for Patent: 10,492,990

Summary for Patent: 10,492,990

Title:	Drug cassette, autoinjector, and autoinjector system
Abstract:	A cassette for use with an injector has a housing, and a cassette identification arrangement (cassette ID) defining a code containing information about the cassette that is detectable and decipherable by an injector. The cassette may further have a sleeve movably disposed within the housing, for holding a drug container, and a locking arrangement for interlocking the sleeve with the housing. The cassette may further have an aperture in the housing, and a cassette cap for removing a needle shield of the drug container. The cassette may have an anti-bending structure to prevent bending or flexing of the cassette cap. The injector may have a processor for controlling operational parameters of the injector and a detector communicatively coupled with the processor for detecting and communicating the cassette ID to the microprocessor to decipher the code defined therein. Also, a method of injecting a drug into a patient with an injector, wherein the sequence of actions performed by the user are controlled. Still further, a method of treating a patient in need thereof wherein a cassette containing a drug is provided and administered to the patient using an injector.
Inventor(s):	Mounce; R. Paul (Burbank, CA), Judd; Clinton (Oxnard, CA), Krishna; Suhas (Simi Valley, CA), Johnston; Neal D. (Irving, TX), Johnston; Gordon (Dallas, TX), Sardo; Giorgio (Milan, IT), Ganzitti; Gabriele (Milan, IT), Yeh; Hong Jun (Newbury Park, CA)
Assignee:	AMGEN INC. (Thousand Oaks, CA)
Application Number:	14/777,255
Patent Claims:	1. A cassette for an injector, the cassette comprising: a housing; a cassette identification arrangement (cassette ID) defining a code containing information about the cassette, the code being detectable and decipherable by the injector, the cassette ID disposed on the housing, embedded within the housing, provided on or in a separate structure contained within the housing, or any combination thereof; a sleeve movably disposed within the housing, the sleeve for directly or indirectly holding a drug container; and a locking arrangement for interlocking the sleeve with the housing, the locking arrangement comprising a spring-biased member associated with one of the housing and the sleeve and biased toward the other one of the housing and the sleeve when the locking arrangement is in a locked position, and a fixed member associated with the other one of the housing and the sleeve for interlocking with the spring-biased member; wherein the spring-biased member comprises at least one locking foot and the fixed member comprises at least one slot, the at least one locking foot engaging the at least one slot when the locking arrangement is in the locked position, to interlock the sleeve with the housing. 2. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the cassette ID comprises a contact system that requires contact between the cassette ID and the injector, a non-contact system that requires no contact between the cassette ID and the injector, or any combination thereof. 3. The cassette according to claim 2, wherein the contact system comprises one or more tabs, one or more indentations, one or more electrically conductive strips, or any combination thereof, for contacting one or more sensing elements of a detector of the injector when the cassette is placed in or on the injector. 4. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein the code is at least partially determined by the absence of one or more of the one or more tabs, indentations, electrically conductive strips, or any combination thereof. 5. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein the one or more tabs, indentations, electrically conductive strips, or any combination thereof are provided at various housing positions, the code at least partially determined by the various housing positions of the one or more tabs, indentations, electrically conductive strips, or any combination thereof. 6. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein the number of the one or more tabs, indentations, electrically conductive strips, or combination thereof, at least partially determines the code. 7. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein each of the one or more electrically conductive strips forms a straight or tortuous path, the code at least partially determined by the path of each of the one or more electrically conductive strips. 8. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein each of the one or more tabs has a length selected from two or more different lengths, the code at least partially determined by the length of the one or more tabs. 9. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein each of the one or more indentations has a depth selected from two or more different depths, the code at least partially determined by the depth of the one or more indentations. 10. The cassette according to claim 2, wherein the non-contact system comprises a device for emitting a radio-frequency (RF), a device for emitting an electromagnetic field (EMF), a device for emitting a magnetic field (MF), a device for emitting a machine-readable optical representation of data (ORD), or any combination thereof, the RF EMF, MF, ORD, or any combination thereof being sensed by a detector of the injector when the cassette is placed in or on the injector, the code at least partially determined by the RF EMF, MF, ORD, or any combination thereof. 11. The cassette according to claim 1, further comprising the drug container filled for treatment or prefilled with a drug. 12. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the information comprises information that identifies the type of cassette, identifies the content of the cassette, identifies whether the cassette is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cassette, identifies manufacturing data about the cassette, or any combination thereof, wherein the information that identifies the content of the cassette comprises the quantity of drug in the container and/or drug characteristics, and wherein the information allows the injector to adjust or select its operational parameters or select one or a plurality of operational programs. 13. The cassette according to claim 11, wherein the drug comprises a therapeutic product and wherein the therapeutic product comprises one of epoetin alfa, darbepoetin alfa, etanercept, TNF-receptor/Fc fusion protein, pegylated filgastrim, pegylated G-CSF, pegylated hu-met-G-CSF, filgrastim, G-CSF, hu-met-G-CSF, romiplostim, panitumumab, cinacalcet, denosamab, AMG 162, an antibody to IL-17 Receptor A, an antagonist of angiopoietin-2, a TNF blocker, and a TNF inhibitor. 14. The cassette according to claim 11, wherein the drug comprises a therapeutic product and wherein the therapeutic product has a viscosity of about 19 centipoise at room temperature. 15. The cassette according to claim 11, wherein the drug comprises a therapeutic product and wherein the therapeutic product has a viscosity ranging between about 1 centipoise and about 320 centipoise, at room temperature. 16. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the locking arrangement further comprises a cam for unlocking the spring-biased and fixed members. 17. The cassette according to claim 16, wherein the cam is associated with the spring-biased member. 18. The cassette according to claim 16, wherein the cam is actuated by the injector during a needle-insertion cycle of the injector. 19. The cassette according to claim 16, wherein the locking arrangement further comprises a second cam for preventing the spring-biased member from interfering with the assembly of the sleeve to the housing. 20. The cassette according to claim 19, wherein the second cam is disposed on a hand member. 21. The cassette according to claim 20, wherein the second cam extends forward of a leading edge of the hand member. 22. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locking foot is disposed on a hand member. 23. The cassette according to claim 22, wherein the hand member is connected to the one of the housing and the sleeve by at least one flexible arm member, the at least one flexible arm member biasing the hand member. 24. The cassette according to claim 23, wherein the at least one flexible arm member biases the hand member in an unlocked position where the at least one locking foot is disengaged from the at least one slot. 25. The cassette according to claim 23, wherein the at least one flexible arm member biases the hand member in the locked position where the at least one locking foot is engaged with the at least one slot. 26. The cassette according to claim 23, wherein the locking arrangement further comprises a cam disposed on the hand member for unlocking the spring-biased and fixed members. 27. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locking foot and the at least one slot have angled surfaces which engage one another if the at least one locking foot is engaged with the at least one slot, to facilitate self-locking or self-unlocking thereof, depending upon the angle of the surfaces. 28. The cassette according to claim 1, further comprising a latch mechanism comprising a first member associated with the housing and a second member associated with the sleeve. 29. An injector in combination with the cassette according to claim 1, the injector comprising: a processor for controlling operational parameters of the injector; a surface for supporting the cassette having the cassette identification arrangement (cassette ID), the cassette ID defining a code that contains information about the cassette; and a detector communicatively coupled with the processor, the detector for detecting and communicating the cassette ID to the processor to decipher the code defined therein. 30. A cassette for an injector, the cassette comprising: a housing having an aperture; a cassette identification arrangement (cassette ID) defining a code containing information about the cassette, the code being detectable and decipherable by the injector, the cassette ID disposed on the housing, embedded within the housing, provided on or in a separate structure contained within the housing, or any combination thereof; a drug container disposed in the housing, the drug container having an injection needle and a needle shield disposed over the injection needle; a cassette cap for removing the needle shield, the cassette cap comprising a generally cylindrical body portion and a key portion disposed adjacent to the cylindrical body portion, the cylindrical body portion engaging the needle shield, the cylindrical body portion having a portion extending through the aperture in the housing configured to be gripped to withdraw the cassette cap from the housing to remove the needle shield; and an anti-bending structure to prevent bending or flexing of the cassette cap, the cassette cap having at least first member associated with the key portion and the housing having at least a second member for interacting with the first member; wherein the first member comprises a first pair of tabs and a second pair of tabs spaced from the first pair of tabs. 31. The cassette according to claim 30, wherein the first pair of tabs are disposed on side walls of the key portion. 32. The cassette according to claim 30, wherein the second pair of tabs are disposed on side walls of the key portion. 33. The cassette according to claim 32, wherein the first and second pairs of tabs extend from outer surfaces of the side walls of the key portion. 34. The cassette according to claim 30, wherein the first pair of tabs are disposed adjacent a first end of the key portion and the second pair of tabs are disposed adjacent to a second end of the key portion. 35. The cassette according to claim 30, wherein the portion of the cylindrical body portion extending through the aperture in the housing has a gripping flange. 36. A cassette for an injector, the cassette comprising: a housing having an aperture; a cassette identification arrangement (cassette ID) defining a code containing information about the cassette, the code being detectable and decipherable by the injector, the cassette ID disposed on the housing, embedded within the housing, provided on or in a separate structure contained within the housing, or any combination thereof; a drug container disposed in the housing, the drug container having an injection needle and a needle shield disposed over the injection needle; a cassette cap for removing the needle shield, the cassette cap comprising a generally cylindrical body portion and a key portion disposed adjacent to the cylindrical body portion, the cylindrical body portion engaging the needle shield, the cylindrical body portion having a portion extending through the aperture in the housing configured to be gripped to withdraw the cassette cap from the housing to remove the needle shield; and an anti-bending structure to prevent bending or flexing of the cassette cap, the cassette cap having at least first member associated with the key portion and the housing having at least a second member for interacting with the first member; wherein the second member comprises a pair of ribs. 37. The cassette according to claim 36, wherein the pair of ribs are disposed on side walls of the housing. 38. The cassette according to claim 37, wherein the first member comprises a first pair of tabs, and surfaces of the first pair of tabs engage surfaces of the pair of ribs. 39. The cassette according to claim 37, wherein the pair of ribs extend from interior surfaces of the side walls of the housing.

Details for Patent 10,492,990

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Amgen, Inc.	EPOGEN/PROCRIT	epoetin alfa	Injection	103234	06/01/1989		2039-12-21
Amgen, Inc.	EPOGEN/PROCRIT	epoetin alfa	Injection	103234			2039-12-21
Amgen, Inc.	PROCRIT	epoetin alfa	Injection	103234			2039-12-21
Amgen, Inc.	NEUPOGEN	filgrastim	Injection	103353	02/20/1991		2039-12-21
Amgen, Inc.	NEUPOGEN	filgrastim	Injection	103353	06/28/2000		2039-12-21