Dry Powder Inhaler for Deep, Consistent Drug Administration

New inhaler delivers significantly more drug to the deep lung, regardless of strength of breath Dry Powder Inhaler

Cambridge Consultants and Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd develop a high performance, easy to use dry powder inhaler

Cambridge Consultants, a leading technology product design and development firm, has developed a new high efficiency, easy to use dry powder inhaler in collaboration with Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd ("SPARC"), one of India's leading pharmaceutical research companies. The inhaler has a uniform delivery profile that ensures the full intended metered dose of the drug is administered to the deep lung, regardless of the strength of the patient's intake of breath.

The device employs a novel de-agglomeration engine to separate the drug from the lactose 'carrier' particles. Based on a highly efficient airway design, the patented drug separation mechanism has successfully completed clinical trials and demonstrated that it is capable of delivering significantly more of the drug to the deep lung than traditional inhalers. In practice, this will minimise side effects from drug build-up in the back of the throat, reduce non-systemic load and wastage, and means almost 50% less active drug needs pre-loading into the device in comparison to a standard inhaler.

This step change in inhaler technology is a reliable and easy to use device, particularly for patients with impaired lung function or those using the inhaler during an asthma attack – overcoming any patient concerns about the ability to use the device effectively.

In addition to its novel drug delivery mechanism, the device integrates a number of user-friendly design features. These include a numerical dose counter to indicate at a glance how many more doses are left in the inhaler before it runs out, a luminous feature to enable users to find the device in the dark and a small pop-out 'braille' button which activates when there are only a few doses remaining. The device gives audible and tactile feedback to indicate the delivery and completion of user steps. The device also features a unique palm-held form, designed to discreetly house the complex dose carriage and delivery system yet remain comfortable to hold and use.

Mr Dilip S. Shanghvi, Chairman and Managing Director of SPARC, commented, "Our search for the right design expertise for this project was global, but Cambridge Consultants stood out to us because of its excellent track record in medical device development. The partnership has worked incredibly well and has enabled us to take the product from initial requirement to market in half the time that such projects usually demand."

Phil Lever, Commercial Director at Cambridge Consultants, added, "We're delighted that SPARC chose to work with us on the technically challenging project as we feel this is a strong endorsement of the world-class development skills we offer, and we are very proud of the inhaler that has been developed as a result of this collaborative partnership." Cambridge Consultants and SPARC are now working together to ready the device for manufacture and the commercial launch is expected in 2011.

Cambridge Consultants will also be demonstrating the device at the Drug Delivery to the Lungs (DDL) 21 conference, Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 8th-10th December 2010.


Notes for editors:

Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. For 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of over 300 engineers, designers, scientists and consultants, in offices in Cambridge (UK) and Boston (USA), Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, transport, energy, cleantech and wireless communications.

Throughout 2010, Cambridge Consultants celebrates its 50th year in business. Created by three Cambridge graduates in 1960, the company has grown into a leading technology business, renowned worldwide for its ability to solve technical problems and provide innovative, practical solutions to commercial issues. In 2009, the company was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. For more information visit: www.CambridgeConsultants.com

Cambridge Consultants is part of Altran, the European leader in innovation and high technology consulting. The Group’s 17,500 consultants, operating worldwide, cover the entire range of engineering specialities, including electronics, information technology, quality and organisation. Altran offers its clients ongoing support throughout the innovation cycle, from technology watch, applied basic research and management consulting to industrial systems engineering and information systems. The Group provides services to most industries, including the automotive, aeronautics, space, life sciences and telecommunications sectors. Founded in 1982, Altran operates in 20 priority countries. In 2008, it generated a turnover of €1,650 million. For more information visit: www.altran.com

About SPARC

Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd (NSE: SPARC, BSE: 532872) is an international pharmaceutical company engaged in research and development of drugs and delivery systems. More information about the company can be found at www.sunpharma.in.




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Asthma remains a chronic ailment affecting children

The impact of childhood asthma on the health care system is considerable. As one of the most chronic ailments among children, asthma is a frequent cause of emergency room visits and hospitals admissions.

Chronic asthma is one of the most common long-term children’s diseases. Statistics indicate that approximately one to two percent of all children will develop chronic asthma during their childhood, while 15 to 20 percent of all children will show signs of wheezing, despite not having chronic asthma.

Saudi Gazette spoke to Dr. Mohammed Barzanji, a pediatrician and allergy specialist at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh hospital who said: “There are many factors why children become asthmatic, including exposure to cigarette or pipe smoke, pollution, dust and exercise or exertion.” He pointed out that exercise should still be encouraged, with asthmatic symptoms being treated by medication.

The real problem lies with the fact that many parents have a lack of knowledge of asthma symptoms. Dr. Wid Kattan from the King Abdulaziz University described asthma as “bronchial asthma that is related to airway hypersensitivity, which causes reversible obstruction of the airways.” This means that an individual with bronchial asthma is oversensitive to things in the environment like dust; this causes an immune reaction, leading the airways in the lungs to narrow, constricting air flow.

“The most characteristic symptom is wheezing in which whistling and coughing sounds are heard as the child breathes, particularly while exhaling,” explained Dr. Kattan.

The most important thing in the management of asthma is a prevention of the factors that can cause attacks - such as inhalation of dust and pollen and severe exercise - though these vary from child to child.

A mother of two asthmatic children in Jeddah, Basma Hassan Mohammed, shared her experience with Saudi Gazette. “My eldest son developed asthma when he was a year old and I wasn’t aware of the symptoms until a doctor told me that he will get these attacks frequently,” she said. “Each time he used to get this attack, he was hospitalized for at least three days until I learned to use the inhaler correctly and at the necessary time.”

Dr, Kattan added that the correct use of medication will prevent children from getting more of such attacks. The most common medication is, of course, the steroid inhaler, but he pointed out that most parents are fearful of administering it to their children on a regular basis. “I must point out that every child is different though, so some children who experience very mild symptoms only require occasional medication,” he remarked. It is therefore, necessary to consult with the doctor on a regular basis.



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Pediatric Asthma - Information and Tips

As children, we ve all been to the doctor for some kind of illness or the other multiple times. But there is one disease that affects almost 5 million children in the United States and that can cause the life of a child to change dramatically because of the effects it tends to have on the child s lifestyle. That disease is asthma. As mentioned before, millions of children are affected by asthma, and the causes of pediatric asthma have been found to be mainly irritants or allergens in the environment.

Symptom of pediatric asthma can vary from individual to individual, but there are some common signs that indicate the possibility of pediatric asthma. Those signs include tightness of the chest, wheezing or coughs, with other symptoms present in adults not being present in children. Diagnosing pediatric asthma in children less than 5 years of age is done mostly on the basis of the parents’ observations, and so there will be a lot of things that a parent will have to look into when taking the child to the doctor.

Pediatric asthma can lead to children not being able to experience everyday life as other kids do. For example a child suffering from pediatric asthma will feel out of breath every time he or she is on the playground and so will not take part in many games. They will also probably become tired easily, and may do things to prevent a coughing fit or wheezing. If you notice your kid engaging in such behavior, he/she is probably having some respiratory issue. So it’d be best to take the kid to a pediatrician.

Triggers for pediatric asthma can come in many forms, due to allergies or due to other triggers such dust mites, pollen, cockroach and mold. It is up to the parents to know what the child is allergic to and make sure he or she is not allowed contact with anything that may trigger an asthma attack. Pediatric asthma is something that could either get better or remain the same in children. Some children are seen to outgrow the asthma while there are others who do not get attacks for years until it flares up suddenly when they are older. It is hard to say if pediatric asthma is something that can be fully cured, but precautions will definitely help the healing process. The best way to help a child with pediatric asthma is to help him or her understand what the disease is about, get them the proper medication, and allow them the joy of being able to live a normal life.



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Asthma inhaler may not work for many children, study shows

Those with gene variant and using inhaler daily 30% more likely to have asthma attack than those who do not.

The most commonly-prescribed asthma inhaler may not work for a significant proportion of children who use it to relieve their symptoms every day, a new study shows.

Researchers from the Universities of Brighton and Dundee have found that children with a particular gene change do not get the benefit they should from Salbutamol – the "blue" inhaler most often prescribed by GPs – which goes under the brand name Ventolin.

One million children have asthma. The researchers say that 100,000 of them may have the particular form of gene that prevents the inhaler working when used daily.

The authors of the study say that no child should stop using the inhaler, which works for many. But they say more research needs to be done to find out whether there are alternative treatments that will work better for those with the gene change – in which case genetic testing might become routine.

The research, led by Prof Somnath Mukhopadhyay at Brighton and Prof Colin Palmer at Dundee, involved nearly 1,200 children and is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. It found that a specific change, called the Arg16 variant, in the gene that makes the body molecule that binds Salbutamol, may cause the medicine to be less effective as a reliever when used at least once a day. Salbutamol is used to relieve the symptoms of an asthma attack. Children are often on long-term medication as well.

Those who had the gene variant and used an inhaler daily were 30% more likely to have an asthma attack than those who did not. Those with a double copy of Arg16 were twice as likely not to respond to the drug.

Researchers said it was possible that the presence of this gene change in young people with asthma and who were taking Salbutamol frequently could be worsening their health and driving up healthcare costs.

Mukhopadhyay said: "Salbutamol via the blue inhaler is effective 'reliever' treatment in most children but it is common experience among doctors that a proportion of children do not seem to respond to this medicine as well as others.

"Some of these children could progress to develop asthma attacks with wheeze and cough that leads to days off school, visits to GPs, courses of oral steroids and, often, hospital admissions, despite the use of concurrent controller medication.

"Our study shows that common gene changes may predict the children with asthma who will have a worsening of symptoms with this commonly used medicine. We need to find out if alternative reliever medication will provide better asthma control in these children."

But he stressed that children should continue using the inhaler as their doctor has directed until more research has come up with alternatives. "Our work does not alter current consensus guidelines for the treatment of asthma," he said.

Palmer said the research was "just scratching the surface" of the move towards using genetic information to give people personalised medicine – the drugs that will work best for them. It is known that not all drugs work on all people.

"This study gives us a better understanding as to who is at risk of poor asthma control using these drugs," said Palmer. "However, this information is not useful if we do not have a better treatment for these children.

"We now need to determine if other medications might be more effective in the children with the Arg16 variant."


P.S. protect yourself naturally against asthma by eating lots of Vitamin C and Vitamin D rich foods and fruits.



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Inhaled Steroids Still Most Effective Treatment for Asthma

Children who have been prescribed steroidal inhalers to control asthma symptoms should continue to use them, despite questions raised by a medical study concerning their long-term benefits.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2006, found strong evidence that steroidal inhalers effectively control symptoms in toddlers at high risk for chronic asthma. However, the study found, the treatment did not ultimately prevent children from developing the disease.

"Most experts agree inhaled steroids are the most effective treatment for chronic asthma," said Dr. Jamshed F. Kanga, a pediatric pulmonologist at Kentucky Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics and chief of pediatric pulmonology in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. "The question we don't yet know the answer to is whether treatment for a long period of time will result in the disease being cured."

Kanga says that although the study raised some interesting questions for further study, it has not changed treatment guidelines.

"Asthma is a serious disease and children with chronic asthma should be on controller therapy," Kanga said.

Diagnosing asthma

Kanga says diagnosing asthma in young children can be difficult because symptoms are often very similar to those of viral infection. However, if the symptoms become more chronic and persistent, then a diagnosis of asthma should be considered.

Treatment options

Once a diagnosis of asthma is made, Kanga says, the symptoms need to be controlled and treated to prevent damage to the airway. Asthma medication falls into two groups: rescue or reliever medication and controller medication.

Rescue medication is a temporary treatment and does not address inflammation in the airways. These medications are taken at the first sign of asthma symptoms, such as wheezing. Rescue medications work quickly to relax muscles surrounding the airways, making it easier to breathe almost immediately. If needed, rescue medications are sometimes taken before exercise to help prevent asthma symptoms. The most common rescue medication is albuterol, which is sold under many brand names.

The second type of medication, controller medication, addresses inflammation in the airways. These medications are used every day in an effort to keep asthma under control. When taken daily, controller medications reduce inflammation in the lungs, helping to reduce and even prevent symptoms of asthma. Inhaled corticosteroids, the same drug tested in the journal study, are a common controller medication. Leukotriene modifiers, mast cell stabilizers and long-acting bronchodilators are also examples of controller medications.

Inhaled corticosteroids: risks, benefits, alternatives

"The best medications we have to treat chronic asthma are inhaled steroids," said Kanga. "Although there is a lot of concern that in children long-term steroid use leads to a decrease in growth, most experts agree the benefits outweigh any potential short-term growth decrease. Most three- to five-year studies show only a slight growth difference. That difference often disappears as the child ages."

Minimizing side effects

Nonsteroidal controller medications such as Singulair (montelukast) are the latest drug treatment option to become available. There is not yet enough data to determine if they are better than corticosteroids, Kanga says, but they do provide an alternative for children with mild asthma. If growth is a concern, it is also possible to give a lower-dose steroid.

"In our clinic, all patient heights are monitored closely," Kanga said. "If a child is in good control, we always try to cut back the dose of their inhaled steroid. We attempt to optimize treatment by monitoring the inflammation of the airways with a regular lung function test, every three to six months."

Spirometry is a simple lung function test that can be performed on children 5 and older. A nitric oxide monitor is another way to measure inflammation in the airway to help ensure the patient is receiving the correct dose of steroids and thus the optimal treatment.

Future of asthma treatment

Doctors once thought children would 'outgrow' their asthma; however, long-term follow-up has shown that many childhood asthma patients continue to have asthma as adults. Longer studies are needed, Kanga says, to address the important question of whether treatment helps with long-term obstruction.

"It is important to remember asthma is still underdiagnosed and often inappropriately treated," Kanga said. "To optimize your treatment, talk with your doctor about appropriate medications. We want every child to be able to live a normal life and participate in sports. We have very good medications today and most children with asthma can lead a very normal life."



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Dealing With Childhood Asthma

Asthma is a terrible disease, one that is hard enough to live with if you are an adult, but if you are a child it is especially traumatic. Childhood asthma can be so severe that it is practically debilitating, and can really take one’s childhood away from them. If your child has childhood asthma, also known as pediatric asthma, it is important that you make yourself as educated as you can on the disease and also that you watch and make sure that their symptoms do not worsen. If their symptoms ever do worsen and they start to have an asthma attack, they are going to need medical attention right away to treat the asthma. Symptoms would include anything from tightness in the chest and wheezing to coughing and shortness of breath. Keep in mind that these are not the only childhood asthma symptoms and that the asthma symptoms in children will vary from one to another.

Of course one of the most important issues on the subject of childhood asthma is management. There is no cure for the disease as of yet, but there are many effective treatments and remedies that you can use to keep the symptoms under control and help avoid the onset of attacks.

pWhen you are treating asthma in a child it will be much different than it would be in an adult. This is because children are much more susceptible to the effects of asthma, and also because their bodies are smaller and so therefore they are not able to use some of the treatments and remedies that are available to adults.

Combination therapy is the best option when it comes to keeping childhood asthma under control. This means using an inhaler that contains two or more medications rather than just one. Using inhaled corticosteroids only when needed may improve compliance which is likely to occur in patients with mild asthma who have infrequent symptoms.

Taking just one medication or another may help but for childhood asthma you want to avoid asthma attacks even more than you would in adults and so therefore using a combination of medications in the inhaler is going to be your best bet.

If your child has asthma, take every step that you can to become more informed and aware, and that you take every precaution possible to ensure that your child’s pediatric asthma stays under as best control as possible. Work as a team with your doctor to make sure that this happens.


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Symptoms of Asthma in Infants

The symptoms of asthma in infants can be so subtle that you don't even realize infant asthma might be involved. Baby asthma is challenging to diagnose too, because your infant can't tell you in words how he or she is feeling. So doctors rely more on the parent's description of a pattern of symptoms and behavior, as well as family medical history, in deciding what type of breathing problem your baby may have.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in babies and children. In fact, 1 out of every 10 kids has asthma today. So, if you find out your baby has asthma too, you'll have lots of company. If you do suspect infant asthma is causing your child's breathing problems, it's important to find out for sure as soon as you can. The inflammation of the airways that asthma causes can cause severe respiratory distress and may even lead to death, if left untreated or uncontrolled. Babies are especially susceptible to complications, because their lungs are not as mature to begin with, so early diagnosis and treatment are essential.


What Are the Symptoms of Asthma in Infants?

Common asthma symptoms in adults include:

* Wheezing
* Coughing
* Shortness of breath
* Chest tightness

But it's important to note that the pattern and intensity of asthma symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. With infant asthma, symptoms can be even more variable. They are also different, to some extent, than in adults.

In baby asthma, coughing is often the only symptom the infant will have. Some kids cough all night, but have no noticeable symptoms during the daytime hours. Other infants may cough intermittently throughout the day. Also, when babies wheeze, it's not always because of asthma. It could just be a viral respiratory infection.

So, doctors look closely at patterns when trying to decide whether your infant has asthma. First off, they'll ask you if you've noticed repeated instances of:

* Coughing, especially at night
* Wheezing
* Trouble breathing or fast breathing

The doctor will also look for symptoms that are worsened by:

* Frequent viral infections, such as colds or bronchitis, that seem to "go right to the chest" and last
* Exposure to tobacco smoke or other strong odors / fumes
* Active play
* Contact with common allergic triggers, such as pets, pollen, and dust
* Changes in the weather
* Crying or laughing

Diagnosing asthma in infants can be hard because symptoms must be observed, rather than described. And common testing used to diagnose asthma, such as spirometry, can't be used with infants. And just having any one of the above findings is probably not going to lead your baby's doctor to an asthma diagnosis. But having several of them may. In the end, doctors often diagnose asthma by ruling out other possibilities.


What Other Diagnoses Have Similar Symptoms?

As noted above, wheezing in infants can be caused by more than just asthma. And the good news is that these other conditions are often milder than asthma and may go away completely within a few years, as opposed to asthma, which usually lasts throughout childhood and maybe even into adulthood.

Some of the names for conditions that cause recurrent wheezing and coughing episodes in infancy are:

* Wheezing bronchitis, which is a viral infection
* Bronchiolitis
* Asthmatic bronchitis
* Wheezing associated with respiratory illness or breathing problems
* Para-infectious bronchial hyperreactivity
* RAD

The common factor with all of these labels is that the wheezing is not associated with allergic disease as asthma usually is in children. One of the most common catch-all terms for non-asthma wheezing is reactive airway disease, which is also called RAD for short. RAD may be used to avoid labeling an infant too soon with a more serious diagnosis of asthma.

However, both RAD and infant asthma are often treated the same, because doctors really can't tell for sure if an infant has asthma, and won't know until at least age 5. So, they treat "as if" the infant has asthma.

But parents' worries about their babies taking possibly unnecessary medicine can be soothed by the knowledge that asthma treatment is safe, even for infants. What risks there may be are considered to be offset by the very real benefits of keeping asthma – if it does exist – under control. Preventing more serious respiratory problems down the line is well worth it.
In Summary

If you notice a chronic cough in your infant, especially if it is waking your baby and you up at night, it would be wise to talk with your pediatrician about it. The same is true if you notice your baby having frequent and / or severe chest colds. And remember, wheezing does not have to be present in infants with asthma, as it almost always is with adults. And if your baby does wheeze, it doesn't necessarily mean he or she has asthma.

Don't ignore such symptoms or fear an asthma diagnosis. Asthma is fairly easy to manage with medicine and environmental changes, and taking such steps can help ensure that your infant is able to have a normal, active life.


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Inhalers for Asthma

From my childhod days until I turned 23 years of age, my asthma medication consists only of tablets and capsules or just leave it be. But right after that, I tried the asthma inhaler and immediately I got hooked. The healing time of tablets ranges from 2 hours to 3 hours but for the inhaler it took only 1 or 2 seconds.

Inhalers are the main source of treatment for asthmatic patients and enables them to lead active lives without the fear of an attack. There are different types of inhalers available in the market which can make things confusing.

This article will give some more information about the inhalers for asthma.

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