Pharmaceutical Aerosols and Pulmonary Drug Delivery

Pulmonary drug delivery is an applied aerosol science, which facilitates the treatment of both lung and systemic disease. Inhalation of aerosols can be an efficient way to treat diseases; however the lung has evolved anatomical and physiological barriers which serve to exclude inhaled particulates from reaching the respiratory airways. Furthermore there is a requirement for consistent and reproducible dosing of an aerosol with defined physicochemical properties to target the appropriate region of the airways. In this chapter the thermodynamic, transport and physicochemical properties of aerosols are considered with respect to achieving deposition and pharmacological action of inhaled aerosols in the lungs. The methods for production of inhalable aerosols are considered with respect to achieving reproducible and targeted lung dosing. The device technologies that have developed to generate inhalation aerosols upon patient demand are discussed including their use by patients. Finally some of the aerosol analytical tools employed uniquely for inhaled drug delivery are introduced.