Claims for Patent: 7,981,088

Summary for Patent: 7,981,088

Title:	Passive delivery system diluents mixing and delivery
Abstract:	A syringe system for the administration of lyophilized drugs includes a syringe barrel and a stopper and a needled guard each coupled with the syringe barrel. A reconstitution plunger is removably coupled with the stopper. A diluent is withdrawn from the syringe into a vial containing a lyophilized drug, and the diluent and drug are mixed to form a therapeutic agent. The reconstitution plunger is then replaced by an administration plunger. The length of the reconstitution plunger is greater than the length of the administration plunger in order to prevent activation of the needle guard during reconstitution. Alternatively, a single plunger system may be used in which the plunger can transition from an extended length during reconstitution to a shortened length during administration. During administration, a radial element of the plunger contacts latch members of the needle guard, whereupon the shield advances to an extended position covering the needle.
Inventor(s):	Westbye; Lars Tommy (Carlsbad, CA), Dowds; Philip (San Diego, CA)
Assignee:	Safety Syringes, Inc. (Carlsbad, CA)
Application Number:	11/828,958
Patent Claims:	1. A syringe system for administering lyophilized drugs, the syringe system comprising a syringe barrel comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end configured to receive a plunger and a stopper; a stopper coupled with the syringe barrel; a plunger being configured to be removably coupled with the stopper and including a proximal cap covering a radial element of the plunger that is configured to allow transition of the plunger from an extended, reconstitution length to a shortened, administration length, the plunger comprising a stem and being movable from a proximal position towards a distal position; and a needle guard coupled with the syringe barrel, the needle guard comprising a body being configured to receive the syringe barrel, a shield slidable between a retracted position and an extended position, and latch members coupled to the body or the shield, wherein the shield transitions from the retracted position to the extended position when the radial element of the plunger contacts the latch members; wherein the proximal cap of the plunger does not contact the latch members when the plunger is in the extended, reconstitution length. 2. The syringe system of claim 1, wherein the needle guard further comprises a spring mechanism coupled to the body and the shield for biasing the shield distally towards the extended position. 3. The syringe system of claim 1, further comprising a reconstitution needle being configured to be removably coupled with the distal end of the syringe barrel. 4. The syringe system of claim 1, further comprising an administration needle being configured to be removably coupled with the distal end of the syringe. 5. The syringe system of claim 1, wherein the syringe barrel is filled with a diluent. 6. The syringe system of claim 5, wherein the diluent comprises sterile water. 7. The syringe system of claim 5, wherein the diluent comprises saline. 8. The syringe system of claim 1, wherein the proximal cap comprises a spring mechanism. 9. The syringe system of claim 8, wherein the spring mechanism biases the plunger to the extended, reconstitution length. 10. The syringe system of claim 1, wherein the proximal cap includes a body and a head, wherein the body and head are configured to interact in a telescopic manner to allow transition of the plunger from the extended, reconstitution length to the shortened, administration length.

Details for Patent 7,981,088

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.	ZOSTAVAX	zoster vaccine live	For Injection	125123	05/25/2006		2024-06-10