JP7656916B2 - Drug delivery device - Google Patents

Description

(1) Published on May 26, 2021 by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the 1st Regular Meeting of the Next-Generation Medical System Industrialization Forum 2021 (2) Held online on May 28, 2021, the 1st Regular Meeting of the Next-Generation Medical System Industrialization Forum 2021

The present invention relates to a drug delivery device.

In recent years, needle-free syringes that do not use needles have been developed, and it has been reported that they reduce the pain of perforation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a needle-free syringe of the injection type for injecting a medicinal liquid contained in a container through the skin by injecting it from an injection port provided at the tip side of the container, the needle-free syringe having a thermomodule with a heat absorbing part that absorbs heat and a heat dissipating part that dissipates heat, a cooling part provided on the heat absorbing part side of the thermomodule near the injection port for cooling the injection site of the skin, and a heating part provided on the heat dissipating part side of the thermomodule for warming the medicinal liquid in the container. According to Patent Document 1, the cooling part provided on the heat absorbing part side of the thermomodule near the injection port is brought into contact with the skin, and the skin at the injection site is quickly cooled, so that the nerves concentrated in the dermis layer are paralyzed, and it is reported that the pain when the medicinal liquid is injected can be reduced with a simple configuration. However, even if the needleless syringe of Patent Document 1 is used, the drug solution can only be administered to the subcutaneous tissue layer or muscle tissue layer, and cannot be administered to deeper tissues.

On the other hand, a treatment method using laser molecular injection has been reported (see, for example, Patent Document 2). According to Patent Document 2, organic molecules dispersed or dissolved in a solution present in the hollow part of an optical fiber can be injected into biological tissue, so that photosensitizing molecules can be injected only around the cancer tissue, and the cancer tissue can be destroyed by singlet oxygen generated by the laser light combined with the photosensitizing molecules. However, even with the technology of Patent Document 2, although it is possible to approach the vicinity of internal organ cancer tissue with an optical fiber, it is difficult to inject a drug uniformly into the deep parts of the organ.

A technology using another laser molecular injection method has also been reported (see, for example, Patent Document 3). According to Patent Document 3, a method is described in which a molecular injection source containing molecules is irradiated with focused light, thereby injecting the molecules into a substrate placed at least in the direction of light travel, and the molecules contained in the molecular injection source are injected into the substrate via a liquid inserted between the molecular injection source and the substrate. Using this technology, it is possible not only to inject and fix molecules into microscopic regions of 50 nm or less, but also to process materials. Further industrial applications of this technology are expected.

JP 2005-80832 A Patent No. 3621283 Patent No. 5205669

Based on the above, the objective of the present invention is to provide a drug release device that uses light.

The drug release device according to the present invention comprises a light source unit and a drug supply unit having a drug that is irradiated with light from the light source unit, and the drug supply unit releases or ejects the drug by the light from the light source unit, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.
The light source unit may be a laser or a light emitting diode.
The laser or light emitting diode may be a tunable laser.
The drug supply section may be made of a material that transmits the light and further include a container in which the drug is filled, and the surface of the container from which the drug is released or ejected may be made of a material selected from the group consisting of a porous material, a polymeric material, a fiber aggregate, an osmosis membrane, and a reverse osmosis membrane.
The light-transmitting material is a material selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz, and sapphire when the light has a wavelength in the visible light region, and may be selected from the group consisting of germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ), barium fluoride (BaF ₂ ), magnesium fluoride (MgF ₂ ), thallium halide mixed crystal, lithium fluoride (LiF), silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ), and zinc selenide (ZnSe) when the light has a wavelength in the infrared region.
The medicine supply section may include a reservoir tank that supplies a medicine, and a porous body that holds the medicine supplied from the reservoir tank.
The drug may contain a medicinal ingredient selected from the group consisting of immunosuppressants, antirheumatic drugs, gout treatment drugs, diabetes treatment drugs, sex hormone drugs, hormone drugs, bone metabolism improving drugs, cardiac stimulants, antiarrhythmic drugs, antibacterial agents, anticancer drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, cancer treatment viruses, and photosensitizers.
The drug may contain, in addition to the medicinal ingredient, a solvent for dispersing the medicinal ingredient.
The solvent may be water, physiological saline, ethanol, acetonitrile, chlorobenzene, chloroform, cyclohexane, 1,2-dichloroethene, dichloromethane, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, 1,4-dioxane, 2-ethoxyethanol, ethylene glycol, formamide, hexane, methanol, 2-methoxyethanol, methylbutylketone, methylcyclohexane, N-methylpyrrolidone, nitromethane, pyridine, sulfolane, tetralin, toluene, 1,1,2-trichloroethene, xylene, acetic acid, acetone, anisole, butanol, butyl acetate, butyl methyl ether, cumene, At least one of the dimethyl sulfoxide, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, ethyl formate, formic acid, heptane, isobutyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, methyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 2-methyl-1-propanol, pentane, 1-pentanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, propyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, 1,1-diethoxypropane, 1,1-dimethoxymethane, 2,2-dimethoxypropane, isooctane, isopropyl ether, methyl isopropyl ketone, methyl tetrahydrofuran, petroleum ether, trichloroacetic acid, and trifluoroacetic acid may be selected from the group consisting of:
The light source unit may emit light having photon energy that excites the medicinal ingredient.
The drug supply portion may include a drug sheet containing the drug.
The drug sheet may contain a medicinal ingredient selected from the group consisting of steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, antiallergic agents, antihistamines, central nervous system agents, hormones, antihypertensive agents, cardiac stimulants, antiarrhythmic agents, coronary vasodilators, local anesthetics, analgesics, muscle relaxants, antifungal agents, anti-malignant tumor agents, urinary incontinence agents, antiepileptic agents, anti-Parkinson's agents, antiemetic agents, agents for treating frequent urination, Ca antagonists, psychotropic drugs, antidizziness agents, cardiovascular system drugs, antitussives and expectorants, agents for improving cerebral circulation, agents for cerebrovascular dementia, agents for treating Alzheimer's disease, polypeptide hormone agents, immunomodulators, choleretic agents, diuretics, agents for diabetes, agents for treating gout, agents for preventing smoking, vitamins, prostaglandins, stimulants, hypnotics and sedatives, agents for treating autonomic nerves, and peripheral vasodilators.
The medicine supply section may further include a transparent sheet made of a material that transmits the light, and the medicine sheet may be laminated on the transparent sheet.
The light source unit may further include a control unit for controlling irradiation of light from the light source unit.
The control unit may control light irradiation with at least one selected from the group consisting of an irradiation time of the light, an irradiation timing of the light, and a wavelength of the light.
The medicine supply unit may be provided detachably with respect to the light source unit.

The drug release device according to the present invention comprises a light source unit and a drug supply unit containing a drug that is irradiated with light from the light source unit. In the drug supply unit, the medicinal ingredients in the drug absorb the light and release or eject the drug by the light, making it possible to eliminate needles and reduce the burden on the patient. Since shock waves, cavitation bubbles, and molecular vibrations induced by light are used, the medicinal ingredients remain almost undecomposed and can be administered not only to the subcutaneous tissue layer or muscle tissue layer but also to deeper layers.

Schematic diagram showing a drug delivery device according to the present invention. Schematic diagram showing a state of treatment using the drug delivery device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing another drug supply unit according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing yet another drug delivery device according to the present invention;

The drug discharging device of the present invention comprises a light source unit and a drug supply unit that contains a drug that is irradiated with light from the light source unit, and the drug supply unit releases or ejects the drug by the light from the light source unit. The drug discharging device of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that similar elements are given similar numbers and their description will be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
In the first embodiment, a drug delivery device using a molecular jet and a treatment method using the same will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a drug delivery device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state of treatment using the drug delivery device according to the present invention.

The drug release device 100 according to the present invention includes a light source unit 110 and a drug supply unit 120 that includes a drug 130 that is irradiated with light from the light source unit 110. The drug supply unit 120 further includes a container 121 made of a light-transmitting material and filled with the drug 130, and the surface of the container 121 from which the drug 130 is released or ejected is a drug-permeable surface 122 made of a material selected from the group consisting of a porous material, a polymeric material, a fiber aggregate, an osmosis membrane, and a reverse osmosis membrane.

Each component will be described.
The light source unit 110 is not particularly limited as long as it emits light with a wavelength having sufficient photon energy to excite the medicinal component (also called drug molecule) in the drug 130, but it is preferable that the light source unit emits a wavelength in the range of 360 nm to 8 μm. The light source unit 110 may be, for example, a laser or a light-emitting diode. These can emit lasers of various wavelengths and are easily available. The laser may be a gas laser, a solid-state laser, a semiconductor laser, or the like.

A laser or light-emitting diode can be optically coupled to multiple optical fibers and bundled together. This creates multiple point light sources that can be uniformly irradiated.

Lasers or light-emitting diodes may be appropriately combined with optical systems such as collimator lenses and fly-eye lenses. For example, by combining them with fly-eye lenses, multiple point light sources can be formed, allowing for uniform illumination.

The laser light may be continuous wave (CW) or pulsed, but is preferably a pulsed laser from the standpoint of suppressing decomposition of drug molecules and controlling the injection amount.

The light source unit 110 may be equipped with multiple lasers or light-emitting diodes, or may be equipped with a wavelength-tunable laser. This allows the light required to excite the drug 130 to be appropriately selected even if there are multiple drugs 130.

The container 121 is not particularly limited as long as it transmits light from the light source unit 110, but for example, when the light has a wavelength in the visible light region (range of 360 nm or more and 830 nm or less), the container 121 is made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz, and sapphire, and when the light has a wavelength in the infrared region (range of more than 830 nm and 8 μm or less), the container 121 is made of a material selected from the group consisting of germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ), barium fluoride (BaF ₂ ), magnesium fluoride (MgF ₂ ), thallium halide mixed crystal, lithium fluoride (LiF), silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ), and zinc selenide (ZnSe).

The drug 130 filled in the container 121 is not particularly limited as long as it contains a medicinal ingredient that is injected into the body and used, but illustratively may be selected from the group consisting of immunosuppressants, antirheumatic drugs, gout treatment drugs, diabetes treatment drugs, sex hormone drugs, hormone drugs, bone metabolism improving drugs, cardiac stimulants, antiarrhythmic drugs, antibacterial agents, anticancer drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, cancer treatment viruses, and photosensitizers. Examples of these medicinal ingredients are shown in Table 1. Please note that the medicinal ingredients shown in Table 1 are merely examples and are not limited to these. The light wavelength (photon energy) required to excite the medicinal ingredient (drug molecule) can be easily determined, for example, by measuring the absorption spectrum with a spectrophotometer.

The drug 130 may contain a solvent to disperse the medicinal ingredient in addition to the active ingredient. Such a solvent should transmit but not absorb the light from the light source unit 110. The transmission wavelength range can be easily determined by measuring the transmission and absorption spectrum of the solvent.

Examples of solvents include water, physiological saline, ethanol, acetonitrile, chlorobenzene, chloroform, cyclohexane, 1,2-dichloroethene, dichloromethane, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, 1,4-dioxane, 2-ethoxyethanol, ethylene glycol, formamide, hexane, methanol, 2-methoxyethanol, methylbutylketone, methylcyclohexane, N-methylpyrrolidone, nitromethane, pyridine, sulfolane, tetralin, toluene, 1,1,2-trichloroethene, xylene, acetic acid, acetone, anisole, butanol, butyl acetate, butyl methyl ether, cumene, At least one solvent selected from the group consisting of ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, ethyl formate, formic acid, heptane, isobutyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, methyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 2-methyl-1-propanol, pentane, 1-pentanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, propyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, 1,1-diethoxypropane, 1,1-dimethoxymethane, 2,2-dimethoxypropane, isooctane, isopropyl ether, methyl isopropyl ketone, methyl tetrahydrofuran, petroleum ether, trichloroacetic acid, and trifluoroacetic acid. These solvents are capable of dispersing medicinal ingredients, are not taboo when ingested, and are naturally decomposed and excreted.

A person skilled in the art can appropriately select the wavelength of light from the light source unit 110 and the type of solvent depending on the excitation wavelength of the medicinal ingredient (drug molecule).

There are no particular limitations on the drug-permeable surface 122 of the container 121 as long as it has pores through which the molecular jet 250 (FIG. 2) described below can pass, but it is preferable for the pores to have a diameter of several tens of nm to several tens of μm.

Porous materials constituting the drug permeable surface 122 include, for example, porous ceramics such as porous alumina, lotus metal, mesoporous silica, zeolite, etc.

Polymer materials include porous polymers whose main component is polyethylene glycol, polypropylene porous polymers, polystyrene porous polymers, etc.

Fiber aggregates include polyester, nylon, cotton, rayon, down, polyvinylidene chloride, cellulose, polypropylene, silicon carbide, spider silk fibers, etc.

Examples of permeation membranes include cellophane, collodion, bladder membrane, acetyl cellulose, polyacrylonitrile, Teflon (registered trademark), polyester polymer alloy, polysulfone, etc. Examples of reverse osmosis membranes include cellulose acetate membrane, aromatic polyamide, etc. These may be selected appropriately depending on the application.

Next, referring to Figure 2, the mechanism of drug release using the drug release device of Figure 1 will be explained.

The drug release device 100 in FIG. 1 is applied to the body surface 210, and light 220 is emitted from the light source unit 110 ((a)). As a result, the light 220 is irradiated onto the drug 130 in the container 121, and only the medicinal ingredient in the drug 130 absorbs the light 220 and becomes optically excited. As a result, the excited medicinal ingredient imparts energy to the solvent, generating a shock wave 230 ((b)).

Next, a cavitation bubble 240 is generated and grows large. When it reaches its maximum size, the cavitation bubble 240 rapidly shrinks ((c)). The focused drug is ejected from the center of the shrunken cavitation bubble 240 as a molecular jet 250, and is injected into the body surface 210 through the pores in the drug permeable surface 122 of the drug delivery device 100 ((d)).

The depth of the molecular jet 250 into the body surface 210 can be adjusted by adjusting the wavelength, intensity, duration, etc. of the light 220 from the light source unit 110, and depending on the application, injection into the subcutaneous tissue layer, muscle tissue layer, or even deeper layers can be performed without a needle. At this time, the diameter of the molecular jet 250 remains at a size of several tens of nm to several tens of μm, so no scars are left. Furthermore, the drug irradiated with the light 220 in this way is injected undecomposed.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the drug release device 100 of the present invention may further include a control unit (not shown) that controls the irradiation of light from the light source unit 110. The control unit may control the irradiation of at least one light selected from the group consisting of the irradiation time, irradiation timing (number of irradiations), and light wavelength of the light from the light source unit 110. This allows control of the injection depth, administration time, etc.

The drug supply unit 120 may be detachably provided with respect to the light source unit 110. This allows the drug 130 to be easily replaced and used repeatedly.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing another drug supply unit according to the present invention.

The drug discharging device 300 according to the present invention includes a light source unit 110 and a drug supply unit 120 that includes a drug 130 to which light from the light source unit 110 is irradiated. The drug supply unit 120 further includes a reservoir tank 310 that is filled with and supplied with the drug 130, and a porous body 320 that supplies and holds the drug 130 from the reservoir tank 310. Note that the light source unit 110 and the drug 130 have been described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

There are no particular limitations on the material or shape of the reservoir tank 310, so long as it holds the above-mentioned drug 130 and the solvent in which the drug 130 is dispersed, and is connected so as to supply the drug 130 to the porous body 320.

There are no particular limitations on the porous body 320 as long as it can hold the drug 130, but examples include open-cell foams made of synthetic resins such as polyurethane, polyethylene, nylon, and melamine, as well as woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, and metal fiber aggregates that have a three-dimensional skeletal structure consisting of layers such as honeycomb, mesh, and net-like structures.

As with the drug release device 100 in FIG. 1, when the drug release device 300 is applied to the body surface and light is emitted from the light source unit 110, the medicinal ingredients in the drug 130 impregnated in the porous body 320 absorb the light and become excited. The excited medicinal ingredients provide energy to the solvent, generating shock waves within the porous body 320.

Next, a cavitation bubble is generated, and as it grows larger, it rapidly shrinks, and the focused drug is ejected from the center of the shrunken cavitation bubble as a molecular jet, which is then injected into the body surface through the pores of the porous body 320 of the drug release device 300.

Unlike the drug release device 100, the drug release device 300 allows for long-term administration because the reservoir tank 310 is filled with the drug 130.

The drug discharging device 300 may also be provided with a control unit that controls the light irradiation of the light source unit 110, as in the drug discharging device 100. In addition, the drug supply unit 120 may be removable.

If there is a risk that the medicinal ingredient (drug molecule) will decompose or change due to absorption of light from the light source unit 110, it is possible to avoid the light absorption wavelength of the medicinal ingredient and directly photoexcite the solvent (multiple solvents may be mixed and separated into those that absorb light and those that do not. In this case, it is possible to control the magnitude of the injection phenomenon by the concentration of the solvent that absorbs light), or to mix non-mainly targeted drug molecules or photosensitizing molecules as auxiliary molecules into the solvent, and photoexcite them instead of the main targeted drug molecules to generate shock waves and cavitation bubbles, thereby injecting the main targeted drug ingredient together with these auxiliary molecules in a manner similar to that described above.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, a drug release device utilizing molecular diffusion and a treatment method using the same will be described.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing yet another drug delivery device according to the present invention.

The drug release device 400 according to the present invention includes a light source unit 110 and a drug supply unit 120 to which light from the light source unit 110 is irradiated. The drug supply unit 120 includes a drug sheet 410 containing a medicinal ingredient. In FIG. 4, the drug supply unit 120 further includes a transparent sheet 420 that is laminated on the drug sheet 410 and transmits light from the light source unit 110, but the transparent sheet 420 may be omitted. The light source unit 110 has been described above and will not be described here.

The drug sheet 410 is not particularly limited as long as it contains a medicinal component that can be absorbed transdermally. Illustrative examples of the drug sheet 410 include a medicinal component selected from the group consisting of steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, antiallergic agents, antihistamines, central nervous system agents, hormones, antihypertensive agents, cardiac stimulants, antiarrhythmic agents, coronary vasodilators, local anesthetics, analgesics, muscle relaxants, antifungal agents, anti-malignant tumor agents, urinary incontinence agents, antiepileptic agents, anti-Parkinson's agents, antiemetic agents, frequent urination agents, Ca antagonists, psychotropic drugs, antidizziness agents, cardiovascular system agents, antitussives and expectorants, cerebral circulation improving agents, cerebrovascular dementia agents, Alzheimer's agents, polypeptide hormone agents, immunomodulators, choleretic agents, diuretics, diabetes agents, gout agents, smoking cessation aids, vitamins, prostaglandins, stimulants, hypnotics and sedatives, autonomic nervous system agents, and peripheral vasodilators. Examples of these medicinal ingredients are shown in Table 2. Please note that the medicinal ingredients shown in Table 2 are merely examples and are not limited to these.

The drug sheet 410 may contain moisturizing ingredients, water, water-soluble polymers, crosslinking agents, etc. in addition to the medicinal ingredients. This allows it to have adhesive properties that allow it to be attached to the skin.

Moisturizing ingredients include, for example, glycerin, diglycerin, polyglycerin, 1,3-butylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol with an average molecular weight exceeding 425, polyoxyethylene glyceryl ether, methyl glucoside, polyoxyethylene methyl glucoside, polyhydric alcohols such as erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and trehalose, sugar alcohols, sugars, amino acids, and proteins.

Water functions as a dispersant for medicinal ingredients, water-based polymers, moisturizing ingredients, and cross-linking agents, and can be purified water, natural water, sterilized water, etc.

The water-soluble polymer may be, for example, gelatin, polyacrylic acid or its salt, or a partially neutralized product.

Examples of crosslinking agents include poorly water-soluble aluminum compounds such as aluminum hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide gel, hydrated aluminum silicate, synthetic aluminum silicate, kaolin, aluminum acetate, aluminum lactate, aluminum stearate, magnesium aluminometasilicate, and magnesium aluminosilicate, and polyfunctional epoxy compounds such as polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, glycerin diglycidyl ether, glycerin triglycidyl ether, propylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polyglycerol polyglycidyl ether, sorbitol polyglycidyl ether, sorbitan polyglycidyl ether, trimethylolpropane polyglycidyl ether, pentaerythritol polyglycidyl ether, resorcinol diglycidyl ether, and neopentyl glycol diglycidyl ether.

The drug sheet 410 may further contain known skin-beautifying ingredients, preservatives, antioxidants, tackifiers, dissolving agents, dyes, fragrances, surfactants, UV absorbers, pH adjusters, oils, etc.

Skin-beautifying ingredients include, for example, ceramides, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and derivatives thereof), hyaluronic acid and its salts, chondroitin sulfate and its salts, tuberose polysaccharides, amino acids and their derivatives and protein hydrolysates, organic acids such as hydroxy acids, glycoproteins such as lactoferrin, ubidecarenone (coenzyme Q10), alpha lipoic acid (thioctic acid), animal and plant extracts, and urea.

Examples of preservatives include paraoxybenzoic acid esters, benzoic acid and its salts, sorbic acid and its salts, dehydroacetate, phenol, isopropylmethylphenol, hinokitiol, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, and chlorhexidine chloride.

Examples of antioxidants include ascorbic acid and its salts, ascorbic acid esters, carotene, astaxanthin, propyl gallate, butylhydroxyanisole, and dibutylhydroxytoluene.

Examples of tackifiers include casein, pullulan, agar, dextran, sodium alginate, soluble starch, carboxy starch, dextrin, carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone, carboxyvinyl polymer, polyvinyl ether, polymaleic acid copolymer, methoxyethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, isobutylene maleic anhydride copolymer, and polyethyleneimine.

Examples of dissolving agents include lower alcohols such as ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, and benzyl alcohol.

Examples of pigments include Red No. 102 (New Coction), Red No. 104-(1) (Phloxine B), Red No. 105-(1) (Rose Bengal), Red No. 106 (Acid Red), Red No. 2 (Amaranth), Red No. 3 (Erythrosine), Yellow No. 4 (Tartrazine), Yellow No. 5 (Sunset Yellow FCF), Green No. 3 (Fast Green FCF), Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF), and Blue No. 2 (Indigo Carmine).

Fragrances that can be used in the fields of medicines, quasi-drugs, cosmetics, sanitary materials, miscellaneous goods, etc. can be used.

Examples of surfactants include anionic surfactants such as sodium dialkyl sulfosuccinate, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and alkyl alpha salts; cationic surfactants such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride and octadecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride; nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene stearyl ether, polyoxyethylene octyldodecyl ether, polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene octylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene monostearate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monopalmitate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan tetraoleate, glycerin fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, polyethylene glycol monostearate, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, and polyoxyethylene octadecylamine; and amphoteric surfactants such as stearyl betaine and lauryl dimethylamine oxide.

Examples of ultraviolet absorbers include para-aminobenzoic acid and its esters, amyl para-dimethylaminobenzoate, oxybenzone, tetrahydroxybenzophenone, hydroxymethoxybenzophenone sulfonic acid, and cinoxate.

Examples of pH adjusters include tartaric acid, succinic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, acetic acid, glycolic acid, hydrochloric acid, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, propylamine, dipropylamine, tripropylamine, monomethanolamine, dimethanolamine, trimethanolamine, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, monopropanolamine, dipropanolamine, tripropanolamine, citrates, phosphates, and carbonates.

Oils include vegetable oils such as jojoba oil, olive oil, avocado oil, peppermint oil, camellia oil, and grape seed oil; animal oils such as mink oil and lanolin; hydrocarbons such as liquid paraffin, squalane, and squalene; higher alcohols such as stearyl alcohol, isostearyl alcohol, and cetyl alcohol; ester oils such as isopropyl myristate, oleyl oleate, and neopentyl glycol dicaprate; ether oils such as ethylene glycol dioctyl ether; silicone oils such as dimethyl silicone oil, alcohol-modified silicone oil, alkyl-modified silicone oil, and amino-modified silicone oil; and fluorine oils such as perfluoropolyether.

The drug sheet 410 may further include a transparent sheet 420 made of a light-transmitting material. By using the transparent sheet 420, the light source unit 110 and the drug sheet 410 do not come into direct contact with each other, so that the light source unit 110 can be prevented from being soiled by the drug sheet 410. As such a light-transmitting material, the material used for the container 121 in FIG. 1 can be used.

As with the drug release device described with reference to Figures 1 and 3, a control unit (not shown) may be further provided for controlling the irradiation of light from the light source unit 110. The control unit may control the irradiation of at least one light selected from the group consisting of the irradiation time, irradiation timing (number of irradiations), and light wavelength of the light from the light source unit 110. This allows control of the injection depth, administration time, etc.

The drug supply unit 120 may be detachably provided with respect to the light source unit 110. This allows the drug sheet 410 to be replaced.

Next, the mechanism of drug release using such a drug release device 400 will be described.
The drug release device 400 in Fig. 4 is applied to the body surface, and light is emitted from the light source unit 110. As a result, the light is irradiated onto the medicinal ingredients in the drug sheet 410, and the medicinal ingredients absorb the light and are heated by molecular vibration. The heated medicinal ingredients diffuse from the body surface into the body. This allows the medicinal ingredients to have a higher penetration effect than ordinary poultices.

When the medicinal ingredients diffuse into the body and the vibration energy is lost, the diffusion of the medicinal ingredients stops, but by continuing to irradiate light from the light source unit 110, the medicinal ingredients in the drug sheet 410 are successively heated, and the diffusion energy is propagated to the medicinal ingredients that have diffused into the body, allowing the medicinal ingredients to penetrate from the epidermis to the dermis.

In addition, in order to further diffuse the medicinal ingredients that have diffused into the body, the wavelength of the light from the light source unit 110 may be changed to a wavelength in the near-infrared region that penetrates the skin. This allows the medicinal ingredients that have diffused into the body to penetrate further into the body if they absorb wavelengths in the near-infrared region.

In addition, light from the light source unit 110 may be irradiated onto components of the drug sheet 410 other than the medicinal ingredients (moisturizing ingredients, water, water-soluble polymers, crosslinking agents, etc.), which are absorbed and heated by molecular vibration. Since the area around the medicinal ingredients is heated, the diffusion of the medicinal ingredients is assisted, and the diffusion of the medicinal ingredients from the body surface into the body may be promoted.

The magnitude of the diffused energy can be changed by changing the irradiation time and intensity of the light from the light source unit 110, and the penetration depth and area into the body can be controlled. In addition, the irradiation time and wavelength of the light from the light source unit 110 may be changed, and irradiation of substances other than the medicinal ingredient may be appropriately combined.

By measuring the transmission and absorption spectra of the above-mentioned drugs (medicinal ingredients and other ingredients), it is easy to determine their absorption regions and the transmission regions where absorption is avoided. By appropriately combining these, the light from the light source unit is absorbed by the medicinal ingredients, heating the medicinal ingredients and allowing the medicinal ingredients to penetrate into the body. Those skilled in the art will also understand that the absorption region or the window wavelength region where absorption is avoided can be controlled by adjusting the derivatives of the medicinal ingredients or other ingredients.

The drug release device of the present invention reduces the burden on the patient and can be applied to the treatment of diabetic and pediatric patients. In addition, since light allows drug administration deep inside the body, it is also effective in treating intractable cancers. In addition, since light allows administration only to a very limited area, damage to normal tissue can be minimized. Furthermore, by controlling the light irradiation time or number of irradiations, the drug administration time and dosage can be automatically controlled and managed.

100: Drug discharge device 110: Light source unit 120: Drug supply unit 121: Container 122: Drug transmission surface 130: Drug 210: Body surface 220: Light 230: Shock wave 240: Cavitation bubble 250: Molecular jet 300: Drug discharge device 310: Reservoir tank 320: Porous body 400: Drug discharge device 410: Drug sheet 420: Transmission sheet

Claims (10)

A light source unit;
a medicine supply unit that includes a medicine to be irradiated with light from the light source unit;
The medicine supply unit further includes a medicine sheet containing the medicine and a light-transmitting sheet made of a material that transmits the light,
The drug sheet is laminated to the permeable sheet,
The drug supply unit is a drug discharging device that releases or ejects the drug by the light from the light source unit. The drug delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the light source unit is a laser or a light-emitting diode. The drug delivery device of claim 2, wherein the laser or light emitting diode is a tunable laser. The drug delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light-transmitting material is a material selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz and sapphire when the light has a wavelength in the visible light region, and is a material selected from the group consisting of germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ), barium fluoride (BaF ₂ ), magnesium fluoride (MgF ₂ ), thallium halide mixed crystal, lithium fluoride (LiF), silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ), and zinc selenide (ZnSe) when the light has a wavelength in the infrared region. The drug release device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drug sheet contains a medicinal ingredient selected from the group consisting of steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, antiallergic agents, antihistamines, central nervous system agents, hormones, antihypertensive agents, cardiac stimulants, antiarrhythmic agents, coronary vasodilators, local anesthetics, analgesics, muscle relaxants, antifungal agents, antineoplastic agents, urinary incontinence agents, antiepileptic agents, antiparkinsonian agents, antiemetics, frequent urination agents, calcium antagonists, psychotropic drugs, antivertigo agents, cardiovascular system drugs, antitussives and expectorants, cerebral circulation improving agents, cerebrovascular dementia agents, Alzheimer's treatment agents, polypeptide hormone drugs, immunomodulators, choleretic agents, diuretics, diabetes mellitus agents, gout treatment agents, smoking cessation aids, vitamins, prostaglandins, stimulants, hypnotics, sedatives, autonomic nerve agents, and peripheral vasodilators. The drug release device according to claim 5, wherein the light source unit emits light having photon energy that excites the medicinal ingredient. The drug release device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a control unit that controls the emission of light from the light source unit. The drug release device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit controls at least one light irradiation selected from the group consisting of the light irradiation time, the light irradiation timing, and the light wavelength. The drug discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the drug supply unit is detachably provided with respect to the light source unit. 7. The drug releasing device according to claim 5 , wherein the drug sheet further contains at least one of a moisturizing component, water, a water-soluble polymer, and a crosslinking agent in addition to the medicinal component.