Quantifying the loading capacity of a carrier-based DPI formulation and its dependence on the blending process

Emerging Process Modeling Capabilities for Dry Powder Operations for Inhaled Formulations

Dry powder inhaler (DPI) products are commonly formulated as a mixture of micronized drug particles and large carrier particles, with or without additional fine particle excipients, followed by final powder filling into dose containment systems such as capsules, blisters, or reservoirs. DPI product manufacturing consists of a series of unit operations, including particle size reduction, blending, and filling. This review provides an overview of the relevant critical process parameters used for jet milling, high-shear blending, and dosator/drum capsule filling operations across commonly utilized instruments. Further, this review describes the recent achievements regarding the application of empirical and mechanistic models, especially discrete element method (DEM) simulation, in DPI process development. Although to date only limited modeling/simulation work has been accomplished, in the authors' perspective, process design and development are destined to be more modeling/simulation driven with the emphasis on evaluating the impact of material attributes/process parameters on process performance. The advancement of computational power is expected to enable modeling/simulation approaches to tackle more complex problems with better accuracy when dealing with real-world DPI process operations.

Recent developments in lactose blend formulations for carrier-based dry powder inhalation

Lactose is the most commonly used excipient in carrier-based dry powder inhalation (DPI) formulations. Numerous inhalation therapies have been developed using lactose as a carrier material. Several theories have described the role of carriers in DPI formulations. Although these theories are valuable, each DPI formulation is unique and are not described by any single theory. For each new formulation, a specific development trajectory is required, and the versatility of lactose can be exploited to optimize each formulation. In this review, recent developments in lactose-based DPI formulations are discussed. The effects of varying the material properties of lactose carrier particles, such as particle size, shape, and morphology are reviewed. Owing to the complex interactions between the particles in a formulation, processing adhesive mixtures of lactose with the active ingredient is crucial. Therefore, blending and filling processes for DPI formulations are also reviewed. While the role of ternary agents, such as magnesium stearate, has increased, lactose remains the excipient of choice in carrier-based DPI formulations. Therefore, new developments in lactose-based DPI formulations are crucial in the optimization of inhalable medicine performance.

Supply Chain Design for Blending Technologies

When optimizing blending technologies, the main objective is to determine the right mixing ratio of the raw materials, depending on the different qualities and costs of the raw materials available. It can be concluded that research is mainly focused on answering technological questions, and only very few studies take into account the logistics processes related to blending technologies, their design, cost-efficiency, utilization and sustainability including energy efficiency and environmental impact. Based on this fact, within the frame of this research the authors describe a new approach, extending the basic model of blending problems by adding new supply chain efficiency-related components that makes it possible to take logistics parameters related to the raw materials supply (available stocks, batch sizes, transport and storage costs, supply chain structure) into consideration. A mathematical model of this supply chain optimization problem for blending technologies is described including routing and assignment problems in the supply chain, while technological objectives are also taken into consideration as technological objective functions and constraints. The optimization problem described in the model is a problem with non-deterministic polynomial-time hardness (NP-hard), which means that there are no known efficient analytical methods to solve the logistics-related supply chain optimization of blending technologies. As a solution algorithm, the authors have used an evolutive solver and a new metrics, which improved the efficiency of the comparison of distances between solutions of routing problems represented by permutation arrays. The scenario analysis, which focuses on the integrated optimization of technological and logistics problems validates the model and evaluates the solution algorithm and the new metrics. Using the mentioned algorithm, the supply chain processes of the blending technologies can be improved from availability, efficiency, sustainability point of view.

Focusing on powder processing in dry powder inhalation product development, manufacturing and performance

Dry powder inhalers (DPI) are well established products for the delivery of actives via the pulmonary route. Various DPI products are marketed or developed for the treatment of local lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma or cystic fibrosis as well as systemic diseases targeted through inhaled delivery (i.e. Diabetes Mellitus). One of the key prerequisites of DPI formulations is that the aerodynamic size of the drug particles needs to be below 5 µm to enter deeply into the respiratory tract. These inherently cohesive inhalable size particles are either formulated as adhesive mixture with coarse carrier particles like lactose called carrier-based DPI or are formulated as free-flowing carrier-free particles (e.g. soft agglomerates, large hollow particles). In either case, it is common practice that drug and/or excipient particles of DPI formulations are obtained by processing API and API/excipients. The DPI manufacturing process heavily involves several particle and powder technologies such as micronization of the API, dry blending, powder filling and other particle engineering processes such as spray drying, crystallization etc. In this context, it is essential to thoroughly understand the impact of powder/particle properties and processing on the quality and performance of the DPI formulations. This will enable prediction of the processability of the DPI formulations and controlling the manufacturing process so that meticulously designed formulations are able to be finally developed as the finished DPI dosage form. This article is intended to provide a concise account of various aspects of DPI powder processing, including the process understanding and material properties that are important to achieve the desired DPI product quality. Various endeavors of model informed formulation/process design and development for DPI powder and PAT enabled process monitoring and control are also discussed.

Mannitol Polymorphs as Carrier in DPIs Formulations: Isolation Characterization and Performance

The search for best performing carriers for dry powder inhalers is getting a great deal of interest to overcome the limitations posed by lactose. The aerosolization of adhesive mixtures between a carrier and a micronized drug is strongly influenced by the carrier solid-state properties. This work aimed at crystallizing kinetically stable D-mannitol polymorphs and at investigating their aerosolization performance when used in adhesive mixtures with two model drugs (salbutamol sulphate, SS, and budesonide, BUD) using a median and median/high resistance inhaler. A further goal was to assess in vitro the cytocompatibility of the produced polymer-doped mannitol polymorphs toward two lung epithelial cell lines. Kinetically stable (up to 12 months under accelerate conditions) α, and δ mannitol forms were crystallized in the presence of 2% w/w PVA and 1% w/w PVP respectively. These solid phases were compared with the β form and lactose as references. The solid-state properties of crystallized mannitol significantly affected aerosolization behavior, with the δ form affording the worst fine particle fraction with both the hydrophilic (9.3 and 6.5%) and the lipophilic (19.6 and 32%) model drugs, while α and β forms behaved in the same manner (11–13% for SS; 53–58% for BUD) and better than lactose (8 and 13% for SS; 26 and 39% for BUD). Recrystallized mannitol, but also PVA and PVP, proved to be safe excipients toward lung cell lines. We concluded that, also for mannitol, the physicochemical properties stemming from different crystal structures represent a tool for modulating carrier-drug interaction and, in turn, aerosolization performance.

Spray-Congealing and Wet-Sieving as Alternative Processes for Engineering of Inhalation Carrier Particles: Comparison of Surface Properties, Blending and In Vitro Performance

PURPOSE

Traditionally, α-lactose monohydrate is the carrier of choice in dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations. Nonetheless, other sugars, such as D-mannitol, have emerged as potential alternatives. Herein, we explored different particle engineering processes to produce D-mannitol carriers for inhaled delivery.

METHODS

Wet-sieving and spray-congealing were employed as innovative techniques to evaluate the impact of engineering on the particle properties of D-mannitol. To that end, the resulting powders were characterized concerning their solid-state, micromeritics and flowability. Afterwards, the engineered carrier particles were blended with inhalable size beclomethasone dipropionate to form low dose (1 wt%) DPI formulations. The in vitro aerosolization performance was evaluated using the NEXThaler®, a reservoir multi-dose device.

RESULTS

Wet-sieving generated D-mannitol particles with a narrow particle size distribution and spray-congealing free-flowing spherical particles. The more uniform pumice particles with deep voids and clefts of wet-sieved D-mannitol (Pearl300_WS) were beneficial to drug aerosolization, only when used in combination with a ternary agent (10 wt% of 'Preblend'). When compared to the starting material, the spray-congealed D-mannitol has shown to be promising in terms of the relative increase of the fine particle fraction of the drug (around 100%), when used without the addition of ternary agents.

CONCLUSIONS

The wet-sieving process and the related aerosolization performance are strongly dependent on the topography and structure of the starting material. Spray-congealing, has shown to be a potential process for generating smooth spherical particles of D-mannitol that enhance the in vitro aerosolization performance in binary blends of the carrier with a low drug dose.

Leucine as an excipient in spray dried powder for inhalation

Leucine is a promising excipient with several applications in the development of inhalable spray-dried powder of high- and low-dose drugs. The addition of leucine has exhibited significant enhancing effects on the aerosolization and physical stability of the produced particles. Here, we focus not only on the applications of leucine in inhalable spray-drying powders, but also on the underlying mechanisms by which the formulation and processing parameters dictate the behavior of leucine during the drying process and, therefore, its functionalities within the dried powder. Additionally, we highlight the current regulatory status of leucine. Such insights are important for more efficient utilization of leucine in the future, both for dry powder inhaler formulations and other pharmaceutical applications.

On the relationship between blend state and dispersibility of adhesive mixtures containing active pharmaceutical ingredients

The objectives of this investigation were to study the evolution in blend state of adhesive mixtures containing the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) salbutamol, budesonide and AZD5423 and to study the relationship between blend state and dispersibility of the mixtures, as assessed by the fine particle fraction (FPF). A series of adhesive mixtures of varied fines concentration were prepared for each API using the same type of carrier. Based on visual examination and powder mechanics, blend states were identified and summarized as blend state maps for each API. The dispersibility of the mixtures was studied using a Fast Screening Impactor (FSI) equipped with a ScreenHaler. The evolution in blend state differed between the APIs in terms of the width of the blend states. The structure of the adhesion layer also differed between the APIs, from relatively uniform to a heterogeneous layer with small agglomerates dispersed on the carrier surface. All three APIs expressed a similar type of bended relationship between FPF and fines concentration. However, the initial rate of increase and the fines concentration of the plateau differed between the APIs. The adhesive mixtures of all APIs followed the three main states in terms of structural evolution and the overall shape of the FPF-fines concentration profiles could be explained by the evolution in blend state. It is proposed that the structure of the adhesion layer is an important factor explaining the differences in blend state - blend dispersibility relationships between the APIs.

Effect of Lactose Pseudopolymorphic Transition on the Aerosolization Performance of Drug/Carrier Mixtures

Physico-chemical properties of lactose are key factors in adhesive mixtures used as dry powder inhaler (DPI). Despite the abundant literature on this topic, the effect of the polymorphism and pseudo-polymorphism of lactose has been seldom investigated and discussed although often lactose used in DPI is subjected to unit operations, which may alter its solid-state properties. Here, we studied the aerosolization performance of salbutamol sulphate (SS) or budesonide (BUD) formulations by investigating the effect of lactose pseudopolymorphism in ternary (coarse lactose/fine lactose/drug) and binary (coarse lactose/drug) mixtures. An improvement of the aerosolization performance of SS formulations with the increase of the amount of fine micronized lactose up to 30% (fine particle fraction (FPF) = 57%) was observed. Micronized lactose contained hygroscopic anhydrous α-lactose, which converted to α-lactose monohydrate at ambient conditions. This implied that the positive effect of fines on the aerosolization performance decreased and eventually disappeared with the formulation aging. Positive effect on SS deposition was observed also with binary mixtures with anhydrous lactose, whereas the opposite occurred with budesonide-containing formulations. The collected data demonstrated the crucial role of the carrier crystal form on the positive effect of fines on the deposition.