Electrical transdermal drug applicator system

Claim 2

A transdermal applicator system for passing at least one drug for delivery to the systemic circulation system of a patient through the skin (24) having a plurality of sweat ducts (28) opening at the stratum corneum (26), comprising, in combination, a drug reservoir (l2, l4; 70, 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) containing a colloidal suspension having at least one drug for delivery to the body of the patient, said colloidal suspension comprising a fluid medium (32, 86, ll4, l46) and generally large, as compared to the size of molecules, particles (34, 88, ll6, l44) in said medi­um, said medium and said particles being of different permittivities, said reservoir being capable of being placed in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient, voltage means for imposing electrostatic field lines (36, 94, ll8, l48) upon said medium so as to create a non-uniform electrostatic field in said medium when placed on the skin (24), said particles (34, 88, ll6, l44) migrating in ac­cordance with the principle of dielectrophoresis pass through the skin (24) into the systemic circulation sy­stem.

Claim 3

A transdermal applicator system for passing at least one drug for delivery to the systemic circulation system of a patient through the skin (24) having a plurality of sweat ducts (28) opening at the stratum corneum (26), comprising, in combination, a drug reservoir (l2, l4; 70, 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) containing a colloidal suspension having at least one drug for delivery to the body of the patient, said colloidal suspension comprising a fluid medium (32, 86, ll4, l46) and generally large, as compared to the size of molecules, particles (34, 88, ll6, l44) in said medi­um, said medium and said particles being of different permittivities, said reservoir (l2, l4; 70 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) being capable of being placed in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient, voltage means for imposing electrostatic field lines (36, 94, ll8, l48) upon said medium so as to create a non-uniform electrostatic field in said medium when said drug reservoir (l2, l4; 70, 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) is placed on the skin (24), said particles migrating in accordance with the principle of dielectrophoresis so as to pass through the skin (24) into the systemic circulation system.

Claim 4

A transdermal applicator system for passing at least one drug for delivery to the systemic circulation system of a patient through the skin (24) having a plurality of sweat ducts (28) opening at the stratum corneum (26), comprising, in combination, a drug reservoir (l2, l4; 70, 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) containing a colloidal suspension having at least one drug for delivery to the body of the patient, said colloidal suspension comprising a fluid medium (32, 86, ll4, l46) and generally large, as compared to the size of molecules, particles (34, 88, ll6, l44) in said medi­um, said medium and said particles being of different permittivities, said reservoir (l2, l4; 70 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) being capable of being placed in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient, voltage means for imposing electrostatic field lines (36, 94, ll8, l48) upon said medium so as to create a non-uniform electrostatic field in said medium when said drug reservoir (l2, l4; 70, 84, l02, l24, l32, l34) is placed on the skin (24), said particles migrating in accordance with the principle of dielectrophoresis so as to pass through the skin (24) into the systemic circulation system.

Claim 5

The transdermal applicator system decribed in claim l or 2, characterized in that said particles are water-based drug particles (34, 88) and said fluid medium is an oily fluid medium (32, 86).

Claim 6

The transdermal applicator system described in one of the claims l to 3, wherein said reservoir (46, 84) in­cludes a skin side capable of being placed in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient and an opposed side, and said voltage means includes a permanently po­larized electret (50, 78) having opposed poles, one pole being connected with said opposed side, said electret (50, 78) imposing said electrical field lines (60, 94) in said medium between said opposed side and said skin side, said electrostatic field lines (60, 94) converging at the sweat ducts (28) at the stratum corneum (26) so as to create a non-uniform electrostatic field in said medium, whereby said water-based drug particles (34, 38) are moved along the electrostatic field lines (60, 94) into the sweat ducts (28) from where said drug particles (34, 88) are absorbed into the body when said skin side of said reservoir (46, 84) is placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient.

Claim 7

The transdermal applicator system described in claim 4, wherein the other pole of said electret (50, 78) is con­nected with said opposed side of said reservoir (46, 84).

Claim 8

The transdermal applicator system described in one of the claims l to 5, further including an electrode (48, l04) capable of being in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient and an electrostatic field con­ductor (52, ll0) connecting said one pole of said elec­tret (50, 78) with said electrode (48, l04).

Claim 9

The transdermal applicator system described in one of the claims 4 to 6, wherein said electret (50, 78) has a high internal charge sufficient to impose said electro­static field lines (36, 94, ll8, l48) upon said medium.

Claim 10

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 7, wherein said drug reservoir is a plurality of drug reservoirs.

Claim 11

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 3, wherein said voltage means in­cludes a battery (20, 68, l06, l40) having terminals, and an electrode (l04) capable of being connected to the skin (24) of the patient, one of said terminals of said battery (20, 68, l06, l40) being electrically connected to said opposed side and the other of said terminals being connected to said electrode, wherein an electrical circuit (92) is created when the skin side of the reser­voir and the electrode are placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient, said battery (20, 68, l06, l40) imposing said electrostatic field lines (36, 94, ll8, l48) in said medium between said opposed side and said skin side, said electrostatic field lines (36, 94, ll8, l48) converging at the sweat ducts (28) at the stratum corneum (26) so as to create a non-uniform elec­trostatic field in said medium, whereby the water-based drug particles (34, 88) are moved along the electrostat­ic field lines into the sweat ducts (28) from where the drug particles (34, 88) are absorbed into the body when the skin side of the reservoir and the electrode are placed in contact with the skin of the patient.

Claim 12

l0. The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 9, wherein said at least one drug reservoir includes another drug reservoir (70) including a skin side capable of being placed in electrical con­tact with the skin (24) of the patient and an opposed side, said second drug reservoir containing a solution having a second drug; said voltage means includes a bat­tery (68) having terminals and a permanently polarized electret (78) having poles, one of said terminals of said battery (68) being connected to said opposed side of said second reservoir (70); and an electrode connect­ed to the other terminal of said battery (68), connected to one of said poles of said electret (78), and connect­ed to said opposed side of said drug reservoir (70); said electret (78) imposing said electrostatic field lines (94) in said medium (86) of said drug reservoir (84) between said opposed side and said skin side, said electrostatic field lines (94) converging at the sweat ducts (28) at the stratum corneum (26) so as to create a non-uniform electrostatic field in said medium, whereby said water-based drug particles (88) are moved along the electrostatic field lines (94) into the sweat ducts (28) from where said drug particles (88) are absorbed into the body; and an electrical circuit (92) is created bet­ween the battery (68) and the drug reservoir and the another reservoir so that delivery of the second drug from the another reservoir is accomplished, when the skin side of the drug reservoir and the skin side of the another reservoir are placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient.

Claim 13

The transdermal drug applicator system described in claim l0, wherein said one terminal is the negative ter­minal and said other terminal is the positive terminal wherein the current moves in the electrical circuit from said battery (68) to said electrode to said drug reser­voir and through the skin (24) to the skin side of said another reservoir.

Claim 14

The transdermal drug applicator system described in claim l0 or ll, further including another electrode (82) capable of being in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient and an electrostatic field conductor (80) connecting the other pole of said electret (78) with said another electrode (82).

Claim 15

The transdermal drug applicator system described in claim l2, said electret (78) having positive and nega­tive sides, said positive side being connected to said electrode (90) and said negative side being connected to said another electrode (82).

Claim 16

The transdermal applicator system described in one of the claims 4 to l3, further including insulation means (54, 79) for precluding short-circuiting of said elec­tret (50, 78).

Claim 17

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to l4, wherein said particles are oil-­based drug particles (ll6, l44) and said medium is a water medium (ll4, l46).

Claim 18

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to l5, further including an electrode capable of being connected to the skin (24) of the pa­tient, and wherein said reservoir includes a skin side capable of being placed in electrical contact with the skin (24) of the patient and an opposed side, and said voltage means includes a battery having terminals, one of said terminals being connected to said opposed side and the other of said terminals being connected to said electrode, wherein an electrical circuit is created when the skin side of the reservoir and the electrode are placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient, said battery imposing said electrostatic field lines in said medium between said opposed side and said skin side, said electrostatic field lines converging at the sweat ducts (28) at the stratum corneum (26) so as to create a non-uniform field in said medium, whereby the drug particles are moved along the electrostatic field lines into the sweat ducts (28) from where the drug par­ticles are absorbed into the body when the skin side of the reservoir and the electrode are placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient until the electrical resistance at the sweat ducts (28) approximates the electrical resistance at the stratum corneum (26) at which time electrical current passes throughout the stratum corneum and a quasi-uniform field is created in the reservoir and drug delivery is accomplished through the stratum corneum (26) until the drug in the sweat ducts (28) is absorbed and a non-uniform field is estab­lished in the reservoir and drug delivery is again ac­complished through the sweat ducts.

Claim 19

The transdermal drug applicator system described in claim l6, wherein said one terminal is the positive ter­minal and said other terminal is the negative terminal.

Claim 20

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to l7, wherein said electrode is a se­cond drug reservoir containing said colloidal suspension wherein said particles are water-based drug particles and said fluid medium is an oily fluid medium.

Claim 21

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to l8, wherein said drug reservoir and said another drug reservoir include a plurality of drug reservoirs.

Claim 22

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to l9, wherein said particles are oil-­based particles (ll6, l44) and said medium is a water-­based drug fluid medium (ll4, l46).

Claim 23

2l. The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 20, wherein said voltage means in­cludes a battery having terminals, and an electrode ca­pable of being connected to the skin (24) of the pa­tient, one of said terminals of said battery being elec­trically connected to said opposed side and the other of said terminals being connected to said electrode, where­in an electrical circuit is created when the skin side of the reservoir and the electrode are placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient, said battery imposing said electrostatic field lines in said medium between said opposed side and said skin side, said electrostatic field lines converging at the sweat ducts (28) at the stratum corneum (26) so as to create a non-uniform elec­trostatic field in said medium, whereby the water-based drug fluid medium migrates into the body when the skin side of the reservoir and the electrode are placed in contact with the skin (24) of the patient.

Claim 24

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 2l, wherein said battery is a DC/DC converter.

Claim 25

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 22, wherein said battery is a DC/AC converter.

Claim 26

The transdermal drug applicator system described in one of the claims l to 23, wherein said electrode is a se­cond drug reservoir containing said colloidal suspension wherein said particles are oil-based particles (ll6, l44) and said fluid medium is a water-based drug fluid medium (ll4, l46).