28. September 2017

Respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (COPD), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are among the most serious and widespread healthcare challenges facing the developed world, accounting for more than 400,000 deaths in the EuropeanUnion, equivalent to 8% of the total mortality figure (1). Such figures highlight the growing need for innovative and effective treatments. Pulmonary drug delivery is receiving increased attention asa non-invasive means for local...

03. May 2017

The local delivery of drug to the lung can be achieved by using nebulizers, pressurized meter dose inhalers (pMDIs), or dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Among the three inhalations, DPIs offer advantages over nebulizers and pMDIs from the environmental and economical points, since they are propellant-free, portable, and stable as a result of dry state1. These advantages make DPIs particularly suited to therapeutic aerosols.

24. March 2017

Abstract Introduction: Early dry powder inhalers (DPIs) were designed for low drug doses in asthma and COPD therapy. Nearly all concepts contained carrier-based formulations and lacked efficient dispersion principles. Therefore, particle engineering and powder processing are increasingly applied to achieve acceptable lung deposition with these poorly designed inhalers. Areas covered: The consequences of the choices made for early DPI development with respect of efficacy, production costs and...

10. July 2016

Abstract The current work outlines the application of an up-to-date and regulatory-based pharmaceutical quality management method, applied as a new development concept in the process of formulating dry powder inhalation systems (DPIs). According to the Quality by Design (QbD) methodology and Risk Assessment (RA) thinking, a mannitol based co-spray dried formula was produced as a model dosage form with meloxicam as the model active agent. The concept and the elements of the QbD approach...

09. June 2016

Recent years have seen a marked diversification of excipient based formulation strategies used for the development and commercialisation of dry powder inhaler (DPI) products. These innovative approaches not only provide benefits to patients and health care professionals through the availability of a wider range of therapeutic DPI products, but, importantly, also allow formulators to exploit the potential opportunities that excipients provide for the development of DPIs. Whilst many DPI products...

25. May 2016

Abstract: The nasal route receives a great deal of attention as a non-invasive method for the systemic administration of drugs. For nasal delivery, specific formulations containing excipients are used. Because of the sensitive respiratory mucosa, not only the active ingredients, but also additives need to be tested in appropriate models for toxicity. The aim of the study was to measure the cytotoxicity of six pharmaceutical excipients, which could help to reach larger residence time, better...

25. May 2016

21. March 2016

DFE Pharma is a leading specialist in production of excipients for virtually every kind of inhalation device and most inhaled treatments. Inhalation lactose Lactose is by far the most important carrier used for inhalants. It is one of the very few substances accepted by all medical and regulatory authorities as being ideal for inhaled medicines. Every type of inhaler requires a different grade and blend of lactose to ensure the best possible performance.DFE Pharma makes a comprehensive range of...

14. March 2016

This work investigates the dispersion performance of fine lactose particles as function of processing time, and compares it to the API, using Beclomethasone Dipropionate (BDP) as model API. The total load of fine particles is kept constant in the formulations while the proportions of API and lactose fines are varied. Fine particle assessment demonstrates that the lactose fines have higher dispersibility than the API. For standard formulations, processing time has a limited effect on the Fine...