초록

Novel vaginal devices containing prostaglandins and intended for use in accomplishing abortion in women in the first and second trimester of pregnancy and in inducing labor in pregnant women at or near term.

대표청구항 ▼

A vaginal device adapted for insertion and placement in the female human vaginal cavity and subsequent removal therefrom, for the administration of an abortifacient or oxytocic prostaglandin to the epithelial tissues of said cavity, said device consisting essentially of a flexible resilient non-toxi

A vaginal device adapted for insertion and placement in the female human vaginal cavity and subsequent removal therefrom, for the administration of an abortifacient or oxytocic prostaglandin to the epithelial tissues of said cavity, said device consisting essentially of a flexible resilient non-toxic polysiloxane elastomer substantially uniformly impregnated except at the elastomer surface with at least an effective amount of said absortifacient prostaglandin to accomplish an abortion in a human during the first or second trimester or pregnancy or with at least an effective amount of said oxytocic prostaglandin to accomplish the induction of labor in a pregnant human at or near term, said prostaglandin being present in free acid form or in a more lipophilic ester form, said device having two substantially parallel relatively large elastomer surfaces with combined surface area at least 70 percent of the total elastomer surface area of the device, both of said parallel elastomer surfaces providing means for assuming a contour to be in substantial contact with the vaginal epithelial tissue, there being substantially no prostaglandin at said parallel elastomer surfaces of said device prior to vaginal insertion, the combination of the total elastomer surface area of said device and the concentration of prostaglandin in said device constituting a means for providing a medically acceptable release rate of said prostaglandin in the human vagina to accomplish said abortion of said induction of labor, and the combination of the resilience of said elastomer and the distance between said parallel elastomer surfaces being such that both of said parallel elastomer surfaces remain either in contact with said epithelial tissues or exposed to the fluids in said vaginal cavity when said device is in the vaginal cavity.