Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Quadrant Technologies Limited

Dura Pharmaceuticals, Icn.

Clyde Witham

Robert F Eisele

Gary H Ward

Bernard Greenspan

Robert K Schultz

Malcolm Hill

Karen Davies

Michael W Ligotke

Jeffrey Chen

Thomas Ryan Jackson

Andrew W Gieschen

Cynthia Licalsi

Charles Ganem

Thomas F Jackson

In a method for creating an immune response, a vaccine is prepared in the form of a dry powder. The powder particles have an aerodynamic particle size range from 1-100 microns. A dose of powder is loaded into a dry powder inhaler. The dose is inhaled with an inspiratory flow rate of less than 60 liters per minute. A mucosal immune response is created via particles of the vaccine material depositing on the upper respiratory tract. A systemic immune response is created via particles of the vaccine material depositing into the deep lung. The vaccine material is size reduced by e.g., jet milling, into the desired range, yet vaccine potency is retained.

Inhaled vaccines

A dry powder inhaler has a dispersion chamber containing beads. A dose of dry powder is released into the chamber, or into an inlet tangentially joining into the chamber. As the patient inhales on a nosepiece or mouthpiece, air moves circularly through the dispersion chamber to drive the beads. The beads roll, bounce, and collide repeatedly with the drug particles on the chamber surfaces or on the beads. The smaller active drug particles are separated from the larger carrier particles and from each other, and a powder aerosol is created and inhaled by the patient. The beads are preferably lightweight, so that they can be rapidly accelerated and moved, even with nominal inspiration. The flow resistance of the inhaler is also reduced via the beads, allowing greater air flow and powder dispersion, without any increased effort by the patient.

Dry powder inhaler

A method for inhalation of a dry powder drug includes the steps of providing a dry powder drug composition having a drug particle size of from about 1-7 microns and a mass median aerodynamic diameter of the delivered aerosol of from about 3.5 to 5.5 microns. This composition is loaded into an inhaler which is generally flow rate independent, and with the inhaler having an inspiration flow resistance of about 0.12 to 0.21 (cmH.sub.2 O).sup.1/2 over the range of about 15-60 L/min. The patient inhales the drug composition from the inhaler with an inspiration flow rate of about 15-60 L/min, resulting in a delivery efficiency measured by respirable fraction greater than 20%.

Methods of dry powder inhalation

Blister pack disk

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Clyde Witham