Reduce development risk with the right expertise

Inhalation is often used to treat conditions in the respiratory system and the lungs, for example COPD or asthma. The drug reaches its target instantly without affecting other parts of the body. Inhalation is also effective when a quick onset of the drug is desirable, for example insulin when treating diabetes. Vaccines can also be inhaled with several benefits compared to injections. The dry powder formulation does not need refrigerated transport and storage and does not have to be administered by medical staff. Additionally, the immune system in the airways is activated at first contact with the vaccine.

Dr Orest Lastow,Ph.D, Chief Technical Officer at Iconovo:

– Inhaled pharmaceuticals are complex and very demanding to develop. The interaction between the pharmaceutical and the inhaler device is complex and requires both formulation and design expertise. The powder inside the inhaler can be too sticky or too fluffy for an accurate dose. The flow resistance is critical for the dispersion of the right amount of the drug. Every challenge presents a development risk where, eventually, the market approval is at stake.

Market approvals for inhaled drugs are based not only on the drug substance itself, but also on the inhaler’s ability to deliver the drug to the respiratory system in the right amount. Inhaled medicines can also contain several substances and it is then important that all substances are delivered in the right quantity each time.

To reach the optimal fit between the pharmaceutical and the inhaler, both components have to be optimized. Formulation of the pharmaceutical for inhalation requires formulation expertise, design tools for inhalers, equipment for measuring and mixing and characterization of the final product using NGI and HPLC methods.

Iconovo offers reliable, dry powder inhaler solutions based on four proprietary differentiated technical platforms. Collaborating with Iconovo will give the customer a unique inhaler product at reduced project risk. Iconovo has significant experience and expertise in developing inhaler products together with innovative pharmaceutical companies.

 

Read this white paper from Dr Orest Lastow, M.Sc. in Engineering Physics and a Licentiate of Engineering degree in Aerosol Science from Lund University and Ph.D. in electrohydrodynamic atomization from Brunel University. His expertise is device development, electrostatics, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aerosol science and inhalation technology.

Download white paper –
Why are inhalation devices so difficult to develop?