(openPR) (Amherst, NH) – The search for improved routes of administration for macromolecular therapeutic agents and the desire for noninvasive delivery methods for self-medication of chronic conditions have led to increased interest in pulmonary drug delivery systems. Recent developments, including escalating research activity in powder formulations, advances in particle engineering, and novel device architectures have now positioned dry powder inhalation (DPI) as a formidable challenger to competing pulmonary methods, and are establishing DPI as a significant factor in the drug delivery sector.
Orally inhaled drug delivery is being transformed by recent developments in particle technology. Powder formulations predominantly used in commercial inhalers consist of coarse carrier particles blended with micronized drug particles. This approach can lead to significant variability in dose-to-dose drug administration. While improvements and enhancements in inhaler designs attempt to address these issues, it is the enabling technologies in the area of particle engineering that are creating new opportunities for dry powder inhalation, particularly for the treatment of systemic diseases through the delivery of large molecule therapeutic agents.
The advances being made in particle technology and the art of particle flow dynamics are enabling an expanding number of drug APIs as potential candidates for inhaled drug delivery via dry powder inhalers. Interest in dry powder inhalation is further benefiting from its ability to create stable dry particle forms of protein and peptide drugs that as liquids are often shipped frozen to preserve their shelf life and require continuous refrigeration.
As aging population demographics and managed care initiatives drive growth in home health care and self-administration of drug therapies, inhaled medicine is increasingly being viewed as patient-friendly and cost-effective. Our analysis demonstrates that inhaled administration in general, and DPI in particular, are well positioned to take advantage of these trends and evolve into a significant factor in the future of pharmaceutical development and commercialization of therapeutic drugs.
Detailed analysis of Dry Powder Inhalers and Inhalation products, therapeutic sectors, and participants is included in a new and comprehensive report. The report documents and analyzes the results of a recent survey of inhaled drugs markets conducted by Greystone Research Associates.
More information is available at
http://www.greystoneassociates.org/Reports/Drug_Delivery/DPI/Dry_Powder_Inhalation.htm
Source: Greystone Research Associates
