Patent ID: 7552728

Claim:
A hand-operated drug delivery device for delivering to a patient a drug composition from a container which contains the drug composition, the container adapted to be placed in a dispensing mode thereof on application of an actuating condition thereto which comprises movement of a first part of the container relative to a second part of the container, the device comprising: a dispensing unit adapted to receive the container, the dispensing unit having an actuating mechanism hand-operable to apply the actuating condition to the container and an outlet through which the drug composition is dispensable from the device, the actuating mechanism configured to hold the second part of the container stationary and to allow the first part to move relative thereto for dispensing the drug composition from the container; and a casing unit for the dispensing unit, the casing unit configured to be movable between a closed state in which the casing covers the outlet, and an open state in which the casing unit uncovers the outlet; and wherein: the dispensing and casing units have securing features for fixedly securing the units together; the actuating mechanism is hand-operable to apply the actuating condition to the container when the dispensing unit is fixedly secured to the casing unit with the casing unit in the open state, but not the closed state; the securing features are adapted to releasably secure the casing unit and the dispensing unit together so that the casing unit is removable from the dispensing unit; in the closed state, the casing unit is configured to enclose the dispensing unit with the container received therein; the dispensing unit is hand-operable to apply the actuating condition to the container when the dispensing unit is independent from the casing unit; the dispensing unit is adapted to receive the container such that, when the dispensing unit is independent from the casing unit, the first part is accessible to a digit of a patient's hand to enable the digit to move the first part relative to the second part; and the casing unit is adapted such that when fixedly secured with the dispensing unit, and in the open state, the first part of the container is accessible to the digit of the patient's hand to enable the digit to move the first part relative to the second part and, when the casing unit is in the closed state, the first part of the container is inaccessible to the digit of the patient's hand.