Patent ID: 6805170
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: A61J,A61L,A61M,B65B,B65D

Abstract:
A method of filling a vial with a predetermined medicament, comprising the following steps:providing a vial; a resealable stopper including a body defining a predetermined wall thickness in an axial direction thereof, wherein the body defines a needle penetration region that is pierceable with a needle to form a needle aperture therethrough, and is heat resealable to hermetically seal the needle aperture by applying laser radiation from a laser source at a predetermined wavelength and power thereto; a locking member for securing the stopper to the vial; and a laser source that transmits laser radiation; selecting a predetermined wavelength and power of the laser source; selecting a predetermined color and opacity of the needle penetration region of the resealable stopper that substantially absorbs laser radiation at the predetermined wavelength and power to hermetically seal a needle aperture formed in the needle penetration region thereof in a predetermined time period; selecting the predetermined wall thickness of the body of the resealable stopper to substantially absorb the laser radiation at the predetermined wavelength and substantially prevent the passage of radiation through the predetermined wall thickness of the body; prior to filling the vial with medicament, assembling the stopper and locking member to the vial and forming a substantially gas-tight seal between the stopper and vial; sterilizing the empty assembled stopper, locking member and vial; penetrating the needle penetration region of the body with a needle coupled in fluid communication with a source of the predetermined medicament; introducing the predetermined medicament through the needle and into the interior of the vial; withdrawing the needle from the needle penetration region of the body and forming a needle aperture therein; applying laser radiation from the laser source at the predetermined wavelength and power to the needle penetration region of the body; substantially absorbing within the needle penetration region of the body the laser radiation at the predetermined wavelength and substantially preventing the passage of radiation through the predetermined wall thickness of the body; and causing the laser radiation at the predetermined wavelength and lower to hermetically seal the needle aperture formed in the needle penetration region of the body within the predetermined time period to form a substantially gas-tight seal between the penetrated region and the interior of the vial.