To enable what would otherwise be impractical, invasive and potentially dangerous testing, and to remove the huge variation and costs associated with human subjects, it is common practice to test inhalation devices and formulations using in vitro test apparatus. Industry standard test conditions and relevant parameters have been devised and published by the regulatory authorities and within the...

A drug product combines pharmacologic activity with pharmaceutical properties. Desirable performance characteristics are physical and chemical stability, ease of processing, accurate and reproducible delivery to the target organ, and availability at the site of action. For the dry powder inhaler (DPI), these goals can be met with a suitable powder formulation, an efficient metering system, and ...

Dry powder inhaler (DPI) is generally formulated as a powder mixture of coarse carrier particles and micronized drug with aerodynamic diameters of 1-5 μm. Carrier particles are used to improve drug particle flowability, thus improving dosing accuracy, minimizing the dose variability compared with drug alone and making them easier to handle during manufacturing operations. Lactose is the most co...

Background: The use of a single inhaler to administer a dry powder formulation of fluticasone (FP) and salmeterol (SM) is at least as effective as concurrent administration of the mono-components from individual dry powder inhalers. Whether the same applies to the pressurised metered dose inhaled (pMDI) formulation of these products which, unlike the dry powder formulations are not breath-actua...

The performance of dry powder aerosols for the delivery of drugs to the lungs has been studied extensively in the last decade. The focus for different research groups has been on aspects of the powder formulation, which relate to solid state, surface and interfacial chemistry, bulk properties (static and dynamic) and measures of performance. The nature of studies in this field, tend to be compl...

In this work three capsule-based dry powder inhalers, available for generics product development, were compared. Two technologically different dry powder formulations were used in order to relate the capsule piercing position and motion in the device to their aerodynamic performance. A "pierce and inhale" design, in which the capsules pierced with RS01, HandiHaler or Turbospin devices were aero...

Patents: To deliver drugs to patients on mechanical ventilation, the drug particles have to successfully navigate through an endotracheal tube and the ventilator tubing. Liquid formulations (e.g. nebulized) normally used with these patients are inefficient. Large amounts of drugs are deposited in the endotracheal tube and within the ventilator circuit. Dry powders offer an alternative formulati...

This study evaluated the effectiveness of dry Moringa oleifera leaf powder in the management of anaemia in adult albino rats. The proximate, mineral, vitamin and phytochemical composition of dry M. oleifera leaf powder were analysed. Twelve adult albino rats grouped into three were used. Cyclophosphamide was used to induce anaemia into them. The percentage proximate values were protein (26.28%)...

We read with interest the paper by Douglas and coworkers (July 1993;48,719-21) on the possible inheritance of sleep disturbed breathing. Investigating 40 first degree relatives of patients with sleep apnoeas, they found a high prevalence of sleep apnoeas/ hypopnoeas (25%), several times higher than the prevalence in a random sample of the British population (5%).' The authors concluded that a f...

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are a widely accepted inhaled delivery dosage form, particularly in Europe, where they currently are used by a large number of patients for the delivery of medications to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The acceptance of DPIs in the United States after the slow uptake following the introduction of the Serevent Diskus in the late 1990s has been ...