Polymer Microencapsulated Particles for Improved Inhalation Delivery of Antibiotics prepared using the Nanocoat Process

INTRODUCTION FDA-approved antibiotics with known safety and efficacy in humans, normally delivered orally or by injection, include rifampicin, aminoglycosides, and cephalosporins for treating tuberculosis, influenza, brucellosis, tuleremia, and anthrax. These drugs are proposed for inhalation delivery for treatment and as a first-line defense against spread of the disease. Advantages include: (1) local concentrations of drug several orders of magnitude higher compared to systemic delvery, (2) cell targeting of drugs to pathogens that are inhaled or reside in the lung, i.e. TB, anthrax, and influenza, and (3) systemic spillover bypasses first-pass metabolism. Microencap-sulated dry-powder formulations with low excipient load are proposed as a promising approach to increase the dispersion properties of inhaled formulations, control the cell-uptake and release rate, and increase the overall killing efficiency of the drug with reduced risk of accumulating polymer in the lung.