Recent advances in aerosol devices for the delivery of inhaled medications

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Aerosolized medications are commonly prescribed for the treatment of patients with pulmonary diseases, and there has been an increased interest in the development of aerosol delivery devices over the years. Technical innovations have advanced device design, novel features such as breath actuation, dose tracking, portability, and feedback mechanism during treatment that improved the performance of aerosol devices, and effectiveness of inhalation therapy.

Areas covered: The purpose of this paper is to review recent advances in aerosol devices for delivery of inhaled medications.

Expert opinion: Drug formulations and device designs are rapidly evolving to make more consistent dosing across a broad range of inspiratory efforts, to maximize dose and target specific areas of the diseased lung.

KEYWORDS:

• Aerosols
• dry powder inhalers
• inhaled drugs
• metered-dose inhalers
• nebulizers.

Article highlights

• There is substantial variation in nebulizer performance due to differences in nebulizer designs, interface, gas flow, pressure, and breathing parameters of patients.

• Smart nebulizers were developed to overcome limitations with standard continuous nebulizers, analyzing the patient’s breathing pattern to determine the timing of aerosol drug delivery during inhalation and reduce aerosol loss during expiration and variation in drug delivery during treatment.

• There has been a continuous improvement in pMDIs in terms of formulation, propellant, add-on devices, and dose counter. Breath actuated pMDIs were developed to overcome the need for hand-breath coordination required with the use of conventional pMDIs.

• New DPIs provide feedback about inhalation techniques during aerosol drug delivery to the patient.

• There is a perceived need for active DPI designs that can be used for the treatment of patients with pulmonary diseases independent in inhaled effort and flows.

• The innovation of inhalation devices over the last decade has done little to improve appropriate device selection, patient training, and adherence that provide ultimate therapeutic benefit to the patient.

• Digital innovation recording and reporting patient adherence data is on the horizon and will help monitor patient adherence to prescribed aerosolized medications.

Declaration of interest

A Ari is affiliated with Aerogen Ltd, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, and ARC Medical and Chest Foundation. JB Fink is CSO of Aerogen Pharma Corp. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

A reviewer on this manuscript has declared lecture fees from Adamed, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, and TEVA and education-research programs funded by Adamed, TEVA, Hasco Lek, Lek-AM, and GlaxoSmithKline. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no other relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.