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The 10% to 20% efficiency of asthma inhalers has been significantly improved by a new mouthpiece designed in the US.
Professor Michael Hindle has used computer-aided design and analysis at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy to create a prototype that allows more medication to reach the lungs.
The design, which was developed in conjunction with VCU’s School of Engineering at VCU, may also be used for other inhalers that need to deliver measured amounts of a specific drug.
Says Professor Hindle: “By optimising the design, it will help ensure delivery efficiency, so less medication will be wasted and more will be effectively delivered to the lungs for relief from symptoms.
“Insulin is another example of a drug that requires a reproducible delivery strategy that can be administered painlessly and as effectively through aerosol inhalers.”
He has presented the design and research at the 2009 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition.
Copyright Press Association 2009
