United States Patent:  6,086,911

Assignee:  3M Innovative Properties Company (St. Paul, MN)

Filed:  June 16, 1998

Optically pure S(+) flurbiprofen, which is substantially free of the R(-) enantiomer, is a potent analgesic for relieving pain and inflammation in humans and animals. A method and composition is disclosed utilizing the optically pure S(+) enantiomer of flurbiprofen for treating pain and inflammation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a drug delivery device comprising a flexible backing having on at least one part of one surface thereof a carrier comprising a drug, said flexible backing comprising a nonwoven thermoplastic polymer web having multidirectional elasticity comprising substantially continuous and randomly deposited, molecularly oriented fibers of thermoplastic polymer bonded together at intermittent regularly patterned areas throughout the web with unbonded spans of fibers between the bond areas, the fibers being heat set in an undulating configuration with respect to the basic plane of the web to form a series of repeating crests and valleys in the machine direction which flatten into the basic plane on strain induced elongation of the web in the machine direction and reassume their undulated configuration on strain release to provide substantially complete elastic recovery in the machine direction up to at least about 10% strain, the web also containing unbonded spans of fibers disposed in non-linear, buckled configuration with respect to the cross direction in the basic plane and heat set therein such that, on strain induced elongation up to at least about 10% in the cross direction, fibers align in the cross direction and, on strain release, substantially spontaneously reassume their non-linear, buckled configuration, the regularly patterned areas occupying less than about 50% of the surface area of the web and distributed in a density of about 8-490/cm².

The backings of the present invention avoid the above mentioned deficiencies of the various prior art backings. For example, they generally are permeable to oxygen, have a high vapor transmission rate, and are conformable; these properties decrease the likelihood that the drug delivery device will cause skin irritation. Additionally they are inert to many commonly used excipients and can be heat sealed.

Claim 1 of 10 Claims

1. A drug delivery device comprising a flexible backing having on at least one part of one surface thereof a carrier comprising a drug, said flexible backing comprising a nonwoven thermoplastic polymer web having multidirectional elasticity comprising substantially continuous and randomly deposited, molecularly oriented fibers of thermoplastic polymer bonded together at intermittent patterned areas of the web with unbonded spans of fibers between the bond areas, the fibers being heat set in an undulating configuration with respect to the basic plane of the web to form a series of repeating crests and valleys in the machine direction which flatten into the basic plane on strain induced elongation of the web in the machine direction and reassume their undulated configuration on strain release to provide substantially complete elastic recovery in the machine direction up to at least about 10% strain, the web also containing unbonded spans of fibers disposed in non-linear, buckled configuration with respect to the cross direction in the basic plane and heat set therein such that, on strain induced elongation up to at least about 10% in the cross direction, fibers align in the cross direction and, on strain release, substantially spontaneously reassume their non-linear, buckled configuration, the patterned areas occupying less than about 50% of the surface area of the web and distributed in a density of about 8 to 490/cm².

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