Laboratory assessment of drug delivery of Beclomethasone/Formoterol metered dose inhaler (MDI) with a new valved holding chamber (VHC) designed specifically for 'on-the-go' use

Abstract

Background: VHCs / spacers are commonly prescribed for patients to aid coordination of their MDI, ensuring effective drug delivery. However, many patients do not use VHCs for their MDI medication when ‘on the go’ due to portability and appearance. This laboratory study evaluated the medication delivery performance when using a LABA (Formoterol) containing combination MDI with and without a new portable VHC (AeroChamber2Go*, A2Go).

Methodology: The emitted dose was sampled to an abbreviated Andersen cascade impactor. Five actuations of beclamethasone dipropionate/formoterol fumarate (BD/FF 100/6μg/actuation; Foster*) were delivered at 30s intervals. Inhalation 0s after MDI actuation simulated perfect, but unlikely, coordination with the MDI alone. A more realistic 2s delay was investigated for the MDI/VHC system. BD/FF was subsequently recovered and assayed by HPLC.

Results: The fine particle mass < 4.7μm (FPM) and large particle mass > 4.7μm (LPM) per actuation results (mean mcg +/- SD) for MDI alone and MDI/VHC are summarized below.

Conclusions: The new portable VHC with a simulated 2s delay delivered similar amounts of fine particle medication (sized to be delivered to the lungs) as the MDI alone, when the MDI was tested using simulated ‘perfect’ coordination. The large particles that could be deposited in the oropharynx were reduced more than ten fold when using the A2Go compared to MDI alone. The A2Go VHC would appear to provide a patient friendly drug delivery option 'on the go'.