US 12,329,940 B1
Drug delivery device, assembly for a drug delivery device, method for assembling the drug delivery device and use of the drug delivery device
Thomas Mark Kemp, Baldock (GB); and Haiming Wu, Weston, MA (US)
Assigned to Sanofi, Paris (FR)
Filed by Sanofi, Paris (FR)
Filed on Jun. 6, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/735,642.
Int. Cl. A61M 5/24 (2006.01); A61M 5/315 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 5/2422 (2013.01) [A61M 5/31501 (2013.01); A61M 2005/244 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A drug delivery device comprising:
an assembly comprising a circlip, a stabilizing element, and a housing element;
a device body; and
a medicament container comprising or adapted to comprise a medicament,
wherein the circlip is configured to assume a first state and a deformed state,
wherein the stabilizing element is configured to radially stabilize the medicament container and the housing element is adapted to receive at least a portion of the medicament container,
wherein the stabilizing element comprises a circlip receptacle configured to receive the circlip in the first state when the stabilizing element is in a first position relative to the housing element,
wherein the circlip receptacle is configured such that an axial relative movement between the circlip in the first state and the stabilizing element is restrained,
wherein the stabilizing element and the housing element are configured such that an axial relative movement of the stabilizing element from the first position relative to the housing element into a second position relative to the housing element causes the circlip to assume the deformed state,
wherein in the deformed state, the circlip is adapted to engage a surface of the medicament container in order to prevent a relative movement of the medicament container in at least one direction with respect to the circlip, and
wherein the housing element is configured to hold the circlip in the deformed state.
 
6. An assembly for a drug delivery device, the assembly comprising:
a circlip;
a stabilizing element; and
a housing element,
wherein the circlip is configured to assume a first state and a second state, wherein in the second state, a diameter of the circlip is smaller than in the first state,
wherein the stabilizing element is configured to radially stabilize a medicament container and the housing element is adapted to receive at least a portion of the medicament container,
wherein the stabilizing element comprises a circlip receptacle configured to receive the circlip in the first state when the stabilizing element is in a first position relative to the housing element,
wherein the circlip receptacle is configured such that an axial relative movement between the circlip in the first state and the stabilizing element is restrained,
wherein the stabilizing element and the housing element are configured such that an axial relative movement of the stabilizing element from the first position relative to the housing element into a second position relative to the housing element causes the circlip to assume the second state,
wherein the circlip in the second state is adapted to engage a surface of a distal portion of the medicament container in order to prevent a relative movement of the medicament container in at least one direction with respect to the circlip, and
wherein the housing element is configured to radially restrain the circlip when the circlip is in the second state.
 
10. A method of assembling a drug delivery device, the method comprising:
axially sliding a medicament container into a circlip,
radially stabilizing the medicament container using a stabilizing element of the drug delivery device, wherein the stabilizing element comprises a circlip receptacle configured to receive the circlip in a first state when the stabilizing element is in a first position relative to a housing element of the drug delivery device, wherein the housing element is adapted to receive at least a portion of the medicament container,
arranging the stabilizing element and the housing element such that an axial movement of the stabilizing element from a first position relative to the housing element into a second position relative to the housing element causes the circlip to assume a second state,
wherein in the second state, the circlip engages an axial stop surface of the medicament container to prevent a movement of the medicament container relative to the circlip in at least one direction, and
arranging the circlip and the medicament container relative to the housing element such that the circlip is retained in the second state via the housing element, and
wherein the circlip receptacle is configured such that an axial relative movement between the circlip in the first state and the stabilizing element is restrained.