DRY POWDER INHALERS WITH ROTATING PIERCING MECHANISMS AND RELATED DEVICES AND METHODS.

摘要

Dry powder inhalers with rotatable piercing mechanisms facilitate the use of dose container assemblies having dose containers arranged in concentric rows. A piercing mechanism is operably associated with the dose container assembly and is configured to pierce sealants that seal a dose container. The piercing mechanism is rotatable such that it can serially alternate between the two rows of dose containers. The piercing mechanism includes a rotatable drum, an elongate piercing member, and a biasing member operably associated with the piercing member. The rotatable drum has an open end, an opposite closed end, and a cylindrical wall that extends from the closed end and terminates at the open end. The closed end includes an aperture formed therein in a location adjacent to the wall. The elongate piercing member is extended and retracted through the aperture to pierce the sealants of a dose container.