Accessorized DPI: a Shortcut towards Flexibility and Patient Adaptability in Dry Powder Inhalation.
In this work, a novel powder dispersion add-on device, the AOS (Axial Oscillating Sphere), was studied in conjunction with commercially available DPI devices to improve the powder dispersion.



An ordered mixture of formoterol fumarate and lactose was selected. We studied in two laboratories located at different altitudes the dispensing and dispersion of the drug at different flow rates, paying particular attention to a number of metrics of Fine Particle Dose (FPD).



Two novel findings emerged from the data collected. First, the aerosol quality, measured as fine particle dose, can be increased by adding the accessory promoting the dispersion and de-aggregation of the formulation. The second finding was that, albeit the emitted dose was independent of altitude, the drug/lactose carrier DPI aerosolizing performance changed with the altitude of testing. In particular, fine particle dose depended on both altitude and device configuration. The RS01 inhaler without the AOS accessory used at higher altitude gave the lowest FPD values. By combining the AOS accessory with the DPI, however, the performance dependence on altitude/atmospheric pressure was essentially removed.



Increasing inhaler performance can be achieved using an add-on accessory that enhances aerosol dispersion and minimizes flow rate dependency.
Department of Pharmacy, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124, Parma, Italy.|Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE19NH, London, UK.
Francesca
F
Buttini
Respira Therapeutics Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
James
J
Hannon
Respira Therapeutics Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Kristi
K
Saavedra
Department of Pharmacy, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124, Parma, Italy.
Irene
I
Rossi
Department of Pharmacy, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124, Parma, Italy.|Chiesi Limited, Bath Road Industrial Estate, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 0AB, UK.
Anna Giulia
AG
Balducci
Respira Therapeutics Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.|College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA.
Hugh
H
Smyth
Respira Therapeutics Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.|Aerogen Pharma Corporation, San Mateo, California, USA.
Andy
A
Clark
Department of Pharmacy, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124, Parma, Italy. paolo.colombo@unipr.it.
Paolo
P
Colombo
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000336:Aerosols; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004339:Drug Compounding; D058995:Dry Powder Inhalers / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007785:Lactose / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011208:Powders
D000336:Aerosols; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011208:Powders; D007785:Lactose
atmospheric pressure; axial oscillating sphere; dry powder inhaler; fine particle dose; formoterol fumarate