Production of Ultrafine Sumatriptan Succinate Particles for Pulmonary Delivery

The discovery and development of inhaled therapeutics for migraine

INTRODUCTION

Migraine is a disabling primary headache disorder that requires effective treatments. Inhalation is currently being explored for the delivery of drugs for migraine. Pulmonary-route delivery of drugs shows potential advantages for its use as a treatment, particularly compared the oral route. Areas covered: The authors highlight the current state of the literature and review multiple therapies for migraine-utilizing inhalation as the route of administration. The following therapeutics are discussed: inhaled ergotamine, inhaled dihydroergotamine mesylate (MAP0004), inhaled prochlorperazine, and inhaled loxapine. Coverage is also given to normobaric oxygen, hyperbaric oxygen, and nitrous oxide therapies. Expert opinion: Inhalation of MAP0004 showed promising results in terms of efficacy for acute migraine treatment in phase 3 studies, together with a more favorable tolerability profile compared to parenteral dosing and a better pharmacokinetic profile versus oral or intranasal delivery. In phase 2 trials, inhaled prochlorperazine shows good pharmacokinetics and efficacy, in contrast to inhaled loxapine that did not provide encouraging results in terms of efficacy. The authors see the potential for the use of dihydroergotamine mesylate in clinical practice pending regulatory approval.

A review on recent technologies for the manufacture of pulmonary drugs

This review discusses recent developments in the manufacture of inhalable dry powder formulations. Pulmonary drugs have distinct advantages compared with other drug administration routes. However, requirements of drugs properties complicate the manufacture. Control over crystallization to make particles with the desired properties in a single step is often infeasible, which calls for micronization techniques. Although spray drying produces particles in the desired size range, a stable solid state may not be attainable. Supercritical fluids may be used as a solvent or antisolvent, which significantly reduces solvent waste. Future directions include application areas such as biopharmaceuticals for dry powder inhalers and new processing strategies to improve the control over particle formation such as continuous manufacturing with in-line process analytical technologies.

Amorphous solid dispersions: Rational selection of a manufacturing process

Amorphous products and particularly amorphous solid dispersions are currently one of the most exciting areas in the pharmaceutical field. This approach presents huge potential and advantageous features concerning the overall improvement of drug bioavailability. Currently, different manufacturing processes are being developed to produce amorphous solid dispersions with suitable robustness and reproducibility, ranging from solvent evaporation to melting processes. In the present paper, laboratorial and industrial scale processes were reviewed, and guidelines for a rationale selection of manufacturing processes were proposed. This would ensure an adequate development (laboratorial scale) and production according to the good manufacturing practices (GMP) (industrial scale) of amorphous solid dispersions, with further implications on the process validations and drug development pipeline.

Preparation and optimization of resveratrol nanosuspensions by antisolvent precipitation using Box-Behnken design

Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic component, has inspired considerable interest for its extensive physiological activities. However, the poor solubility of resveratrol circumscribes its therapeutic applications. The purpose of this study was to optimize and prepare resveratrol nanosuspensions using the antisolvent precipitation method. The effects of crucial formulation and process variables (drug concentration, stabilizer, and surfactant contents) on particle size were investigated by utilizing a three-factor three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD) to perform this experiment. Different mathematical polynomial models were used to identify the impact of selected parameters and to evaluate their interrelationship for predictive formulation purposes. The optimal formulation consisted of drug 29.2 (mg/ml), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K17 0.38%, and F188 3.63%, respectively. The morphology of nanosuspensions was found to be near-spherical shaped by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis confirmed that the nanoparticles were in the amorphous state. Furthermore, in comparison to raw material, resveratrol nanosuspensions showed significantly enhanced saturation solubility and accelerated dissolution rate resulting from the decrease in particle size and the amorphous status of nanoparticles. Meanwhile, resveratrol nanosuspensions exhibited the similar antioxidant potency to that of raw resveratrol. The in vivo pharmacokinetic study revealed that the C max and AUC0→∞ values of nanosuspension were approximately 3.35- and 1.27-fold greater than those of reference preparation, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that this study provides a beneficial approach to address the poor solubility issue of the resveratrol and affords a rational strategy to widen the application range of this interesting substance.

Nanoparticle agglomerates of fluticasone propionate in combination with albuterol sulfate as dry powder aerosols

Particle engineering strategies remain at the forefront of aerosol research for localized treatment of lung diseases and represent an alternative for systemic drug therapy. With the hastily growing popularity and complexity of inhalation therapy, there is a rising demand for tailor-made inhalable drug particles capable of affording the most proficient delivery to the lungs and the most advantageous therapeutic outcomes. To address this formulation demand, nanoparticle agglomeration was used to develop aerosols of the asthma therapeutics, fluticasone or albuterol. In addition, a combination aerosol was formed by drying agglomerates of fluticasone nanoparticles in the presence of albuterol in solution. Powders of the single drug nanoparticle agglomerates or of the combined therapeutics possessed desirable aerodynamic properties for inhalation. Powders were efficiently aerosolized (∼75% deposition determined by cascade impaction) with high fine particle fraction and rapid dissolution. Nanoparticle agglomeration offers a unique approach to obtain high performance aerosols from combinations of asthma therapeutics.

Formation, characterization, and fate of inhaled drug nanoparticles

Nanoparticles bring many benefits to pulmonary drug delivery applications, especially for systemic delivery and drugs with poor solubility. They have recently been explored in pressurized metered dose inhaler, nebulizer, and dry powder inhaler applications, mostly in polymeric forms. This article presents a review of processes that have been used to generate pure (non polymeric) drug nanoparticles, methods for characterizing the particles/formulations, their in-vitro and in-vivo performances, and the fate of inhaled nanoparticles.

Iodinated NanoClusters as an inhaled computed tomography contrast agent for lung visualization

Improvements to contrast media formulations may be an effective way to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of thoracic computed tomography (CT) imaging in disease evaluation. To achieve contrast enhancement in the lungs, a relatively large localized concentration of contrast media must be delivered. Inhalation offers a noninvasive alternative to intrapleural injections for local lung delivery, but effective aerosolization may deter successful imaging strategies. Here, NanoCluster technology was applied to N1177, a diatrizoic acid derivative, to formulate low density nanoparticle agglomerates with aerodynamic diameters <or=5 microm. Excipient-free N1177 NanoCluster powders were delivered to rats by insufflation or inhalation and scanned using CT up to 1 h post dose. CT images after inhalation showed a approximately 120 (HU) Hounsfield units contrast increase in the lungs, which was more than sufficient contrast for thoracic CT imaging. Lung tissue histology demonstrated that N1177 NanoClusters did not damage the lungs. NanoCluster particle engineering technology offers a novel approach to safely and efficiently disseminate high concentrations of contrast agents to the lung periphery.

Formation of bicalutamide nanodispersion for dissolution rate enhancement

Bicalutamide was loaded on hydrophilic excipients to form nanodispersions via a combination of anti-solvent precipitation and spray drying method. The particle size, BET surface area, contact angles and dissolution rate of the nanodispersions were analyzed. The results indicated that lactose was a suitable matrix to prevent the bicalutamide particles growth and aggregation. The lactose loaded particles had a mean size of 330 nm within a narrow distribution. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) characterization indicated the nanodispersion exhibited unchanged crystalline and chemical structure. Dissolution rate of bicalutamide nanodispersion was significantly faster than that of commercial products. It increased to 94% in 10 min while both commercial formulas Casodex and bicalutamide tablets dissolved 60% and 38% respectively at the same period. It was proposed that the enhanced dissolution rate of bicalutamide nanodispersion contribute to high surface area and well-wetted state of drug particles.

Dry powdered aerosols of diatrizoic acid nanoparticle agglomerates as a lung contrast agent

Aerosolized contrast agents may improve the resolution of biomedical imaging modalities and enable more accurate diagnosis of lung diseases. Many iodinated compounds, such as diatrizoic acid, have been shown to be safe and useful for radiographic examination of the airways. Formulations of such compounds must be improved in order to allow imaging of the smallest airways. Here, diatrizoic acid nanoparticle agglomerates were created by assembling nanoparticles into inhalable microparticles that may augment deposition in the lung periphery. Nanoparticle agglomerates were fully characterized and safety was determined in vivo. After dry powder insufflation to rats, no acute alveolar tissue damage was observed 2h post-dose. Diatrizoic acid nanoparticle agglomerates possess the characteristics of an efficient and safe inhalable lung contrast agent.

Combination chemotherapeutic dry powder aerosols via controlled nanoparticle agglomeration

PURPOSE

To develop an aerosol system for efficient local lung delivery of chemotherapeutics where nanotechnology holds tremendous potential for developing more valuable cancer therapies. Concurrently, aerosolized chemotherapy is generating interest as a means to treat certain types of lung cancer more effectively with less systemic exposure to the compound.

METHODS

Nanoparticles of the potent anticancer drug, paclitaxel, were controllably assembled to form low density microparticles directly after preparation of the nanoparticle suspension. The amino acid, L-leucine, was used as a colloid destabilizer to drive the assembly of paclitaxel nanoparticles. A combination chemotherapy aerosol was formed by assembling the paclitaxel nanoparticles in the presence of cisplatin in solution.

RESULTS

Freeze-dried powders of the combination chemotherapy possessed desirable aerodynamic properties for inhalation. In addition, the dissolution rates of dried nanoparticle agglomerate formulations (approximately 60% to 66% after 8 h) were significantly faster than that of micronized paclitaxel powder as received (approximately 18% after 8 h). Interestingly, the presence of the water soluble cisplatin accelerated the dissolution of paclitaxel.

CONCLUSIONS

Nanoparticle agglomerates of paclitaxel alone or in combination with cisplatin may serve as effective chemotherapeutic dry powder aerosols to enable regional treatment of certain lung cancers.