A key issue with most asthma inhalers is that a large part of the medication stays in a patient’s throat rather than reaching their lungs. However, this may be about to change as a team at Monash University has
developed a new method of making ultra-fine particles, which would pass easier to the lungs.
The team, which is currently sponsored by the Australian Research Council, presented its findings in China last year and has attracted significant interest from the pharmaceutical industry. Initially the team had been researching dairy production, with the purpose of attempting to produce lactose crystals using nitrogen laced with ethanol vapour. This led to the development of tiny and uniform lactose particles. Having investigated this unexpected outcome, the researchers concluded that the alcohol absorbed into the initial droplets led to the development of the uniform lactose particles.
It is now hoped that the method described above could be
harnessed to develop ultra-fine and uniform particles of the asthma medications so that they would be able to reach the lungs. As a result of this, it is hoped that it could increase the efficacy and accuracy of inhalers. Moreover, it means it would affect the manufacturing process and potentially make the production of inhalers more cost effective.
It is still too early to say whether this method
is viable in the manufacturing process of asthma inhalers. However, if this
were to produce the expected outcomes then we would be keen to see what
clinical implications it would have in terms of prescribed dosages in the
inhalers.
You can read more about this discovery at Fierce Drug Delivery.