Sp. Newman et al., Comparison of beclomethasone dipropionate delivery by Easyhaler((R)) dry powder inhaler and pMDI plus large volume spacer, J AEROSOL M, 14(2), 2001, pp. 217-225
Citations number
29
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health
Journal title
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL MEDICINE-DEPOSITION CLEARANCE AND EFFECTS IN THE LUNG
Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) provide a means of delivering inhaled asthma dru
gs without the use of propellants. Easyhaler((R)) is a multidose DPI, deliv
ering 200 doses of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), 200 mug/dose. A gamma
scintigraphic study has been carried out in 10 healthy volunteers to compa
re the deposition of BDP from Easyhaler((R)) with that from a pressurized m
etered dose inhaler (pMDI) coupled to a Volumatic((R)) spacer device delive
ring 250 mug BDP per dose. The spacer was used without any pretreatment to
reduce static charge on the spacer walls. The study was conducted according
to an open, randomized, crossover design. The volunteers inhaled the study
drug using optimal inhalation technique for both devices. Lung deposition
of Tc-99m-labeled BDP averaged 18.9% (SD 9.5%) of the metered dose for Easy
haler((R)) and 11.2% (SD 5.3%) for pMDI plus spacer (p < 0.05); when the da
ta were expressed as mass of BDP deposited in the lungs, the difference in
lung deposition just failed to reach statistical significance (Easyhaler((R
)) 37.8 mug; pMDI plus spacer 28.0 mug). Oropharyngeal deposition was signi
ficantly reduced by use of the spacer. The results of this study show that
Easyhaler((R)) delivers drug more efficiently to the lungs than pMDI plus V
olumatic((R)) spacer when no measures are taken to eliminate static charge
on the spacer walls.