Details for Patent: 7,054,683

Title:	Methods of electrotransport drug delivery
Abstract:	A reservoir and a family of reservoirs are provided which are designed to be used with a single controller to provide a wide range of therapeutic drug delivering regimens while maintaining many of the same reservoir configurations and drug formulations. A method of making a reservoir and a family of reservoirs and incorporating them into an electrotransport system is disclosed.
Inventor(s):	Phipps; Joseph B. (Sunnyvale, CA), Lattin; Gary A. (Nemo, SD), McNichols; Larry A. (Elk River, MN), Badzinski; John D. (Coon Rapids, MN)
Assignee:	Alza Corporation (Mountain View, CA)
Filing Date:	Aug 29, 2005
Application Number:	11/214,246
Claims:	1. A method of varying the delivery rate of a drug comprising: providing a plurality electrotransport delivery reservoirs, each reservoir adapted to be placed in drug-transmitting contact with a subject body surface for delivering the drug through the body surface by means of an electrotransport current (i) applied to the reservoir via a reservoir-contacting electrode, the reservoir being permeable to electrically assisted flux of the drug, each of the reservoirs containing the same drug and the geometry of each of the reservoirs being defined by at least three parameters including average cross-sectional area A.sub.RES, average thickness, and body surface contact area A.sub.BODY; arranging an electronic controller including an electronic circuit adapted to control the electrotransport current applied to the reservoirs so that the controller can be connected to each of the plurality of reservoirs; and varying at least one of the parameters for one of the plurality of reservoirs so that the varied parameter is different than the same parameter for another of the plurality of reservoirs such that the delivery rate from one of the plurality of reservoirs is different than the delivery rate of another of the plurality of reservoirs. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the average thickness of one of the plurality of reservoirs is different from the average thickness of another of the plurality of reservoirs. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the average cross-sectional area and the body contact surface area of one of the plurality of reservoirs are substantially equal to the average cross-sectional area and the body contact surface area of another of the plurality of reservoirs. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the average cross-sectional area and the body contact surface area of one of the plurality of reservoirs are different from the average cross-sectional area and the body contact surface area of another of the plurality of reservoirs. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the body contact surface area for two controllers different and the average cross-sectional area and the average thickness of two controllers is the same. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein body contact surface area of one of the plurality of reservoirs is varied by masking a portion of the one of the plurality of reservoirs intended to contact the body. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is separably coupleable to at least two of the reservoirs. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is coupled to one of the plurality of reservoirs at a time. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller is coupled sequentially to each of the plurality of reservoirs. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug includes fentanyl or sufentanil. 11. A method of providing a variety of drug delivery regimens for a drug comprising providing a family of electrotransport delivery reservoirs, each of the reservoirs adapted to be placed in drug-transmitting contact with a subject body surface for delivering the drug through the body surface by means of an electrotransport current applied to the reservoir via a reservoir-contacting electrode, the reservoir being permeable to electrically assisted flux of the drug, each of the reservoirs containing the same drug, wherein one of the reservoirs has a geometrical parameter that is different from the same geometrical parameter of another of the family of reservoirs and connecting each of the family of reservoirs at different times to an electronic controller including an electronic circuit adapted to control the electrotransport current applied to the reservoirs such that the drug delivery regimen from one of the family of reservoirs is different from the drug delivery regimen from another of the family of reservoirs. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the reservoirs includes a mask to reduce the contact area of the reservoir with the body such that the contact area of the masked reservoir is less than the contact area of another of the family of reservoirs. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the each of the family of reservoirs has the same thickness. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein, the body contact area of each of the family of reservoirs is different and designed to deliver a predetermined dosage at a desired current density to achieve a therapeutic effect. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the surface area of the reservoir-contacting electrode of at least one of the family of reservoirs is less than the surface area of the reservoir-contacting electrode of another of the family of reservoirs. 16. A method of varying the drug delivery from an electrotransport drug delivery reservoir comprising providing a family of reservoirs, each reservoir adapted to be placed in drug-transmitting contact with a subject body surface for delivering a drug through the body surface by means of an electrotransport current applied to the reservoir via a reservoir-contacting electrode, the reservoir being permeable to electrically assisted flux of the drug, wherein at least two reservoirs have the same geometrical dimensions; varying the body contact areas of the at least two reservoirs having the same geometrical dimensions by placing a mask over a portion of one of the two reservoirs having the same geometrical dimensions so that application of the same current to the two reservoirs results in a different drug delivery rate from the two reservoirs; and electrically connecting the at least two reservoirs having the same geometrical dimensions to an electronic controller including an electronic circuit adapted to control the electrotransport current applied to the at least two reservoirs. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the electronic controller is electrically connected at different times to each of the at least two reservoirs having the same geometrical dimensions. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising electrically connecting each of the at least two reservoirs sequentially. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the drug includes fentanyl or sufentanil.