Patent ID: 8452392

Claim:
A system for use in iontophoretic substance delivery to the tympanic membrane of an ear of a human or animal subject, the system comprising: an earplug, comprising: a distal portion; a proximal portion; a tube extending from the distal portion to the proximal portion, wherein the tube has a stiffness less than a stiffness of the proximal and distal portions of the earplug; at least one flexible sealing element extending from an outer surface of the tube and disposed closer to the distal end than the proximal end; and an electrode device, comprising: an elongate shaft; and an electrode tip having a diameter greater than that of the elongate shaft, wherein the electrode device is movable within the tube of the earplug from a retracted position, in which fluid can pass around the electrode through the tube, to an advanced position, in which the electrode tip contacts an inner surface of the tube to prevent fluid from flowing through the tube.