Advantages and Limitations of Dry Powder Inhalers

1. Advantages&Limitations ofDryPowderInhalers Whenyouthinkofan inhaler,youprobablythinkoftheconventionalmetered-doseinhaler(MDI). MDIs are oneofthemostpopularinhalertypesfor areason-itwasthe firsttrulyportableandconvenient inhaler to deliver medicine to the lungs effectively. Since its introduction in the 1950s, there have been multiple typesofportableinhalersdeveloped,givingpeople awiderrangeofoptions when itcomesto choosinganinhaler.Drypowderinhalers(DPIs)areoneofthesenewertypesofinhalers,whichbecame availablecommercially inthe1970s andbecomesignificantlymorepopular sincethen.Let’slearnmore aboutdrypowderinhalersand whatmakesthemdifferent. What are Dry PowderInhalers? Drypowderinhalersaresocalled because theydeliverthemedicineintheformofadrypowderrather thantheaerosolthat issprayed fromMDIs.Therearemany differenttypesofDPImodelsthatvary both in how they look and how the medicine is loaded into them. For some unit-dose and multiple unit-dose DPIs,youcanloadacapsuleorseriesofcapsuleswhichyoucantheninhaleforasingledoseormultiple doses.There’s alsoanothertypeofDPI,reservoirdevices,thatcontainsastorageunit thatcontains the powderedmedicine,aparticularamountofwhichisreleasedwhenit’sused.Drypowderinhalersare usedforrespiratory diseaseslike asthmaandCOPD. Theycandeliverbothbronchodilators (medicines thatrelaxthemusclesoftheairways)andanti-inflammatories(medicinesthatreduceswellingofthe airways). Advantages of DryPowderInhalers DPIsareportable Portability is an important factor in inhalers, especially when it comes to inhalers that are required to be used daily. Just like MDIs, DPIs are also portable and some are even more compact. You can carry the DPIaroundwith youthroughthe dayso youcan useitasprescribed byyourdoctor. DPIsareeasytouse MDIsmaylooklikesimpledevicesbuttheycanbecomplextouse.Theyrequirecoordinationbetween inhaling andpressing tospraythemedicine.DPIs,ontheotherhand,aremuch easiertouse.Theyare breath-actuated,whichmeans that themedicineisreleasedwhenyouinhalesonocoordinationis required. DPIsareconvenient

2. MostDPIscomewithadosecounterthat makes themconvenienttouse.Somemulti-doseDPIscanhold up to 200dosessoyoucanusethemforalongerperiodoftimebeforereplacingthem.Theyalsodon’t requireaspacerattachedtoit to beableto useitproperly, unlikeMDIs whereaspacermight sometimes be necessary. DPIsarepropellant-free MDIsrequirepropellantsto createtheaerosolizedsprayofmedicine. Thisisanaddedadvantage as propellantshavebeenknown to beharmful totheenvironmentastheycontribute toglobalwarming. For eco-consciouspatients,DPIscan be a greenerchoice. DPIseffectivelydeliverthe medicine DPIdepositthemedicineinthelungsatamuchhigherrate thanMDIs.Thismakesthemmore efficient and effective astheycanprovideahigherquantity ofmedicine witha singledose. Limitationsof DryPowderInhalers Whiletherearemanyadvantagesofdry powderinhalers,it alsohas somelimitations.Sincetheycontain drypowder,it’snecessarythattheyarekept indryconditionsandawayfromhumidity. Dependingon where youstay,DPImightnotagoodenoughshelfstabilityforlong-termuse. Theyalsodelivermedicinebasedonhowforcefullyyoubreatheinandsomecontainaminimumamount of forcerequiredwhichmight notbepossibleforall. Becausetheycan’tbeusedwithaspacer, it’salso beenquestionedwhetheritcaneffectivelybeused for thosewhoneedahighvolumeofmedicine. Some DPIs also contain lactose which doesn’t usually have negative effects since it’s in a very small quantitybutitcanbeanissueforthosewithseveremilkallergies.