Key themes from the Drug Delivery to the Lungs Conference 2023
Drug Delivery to the Lungs (DDL) has always been an important event in the calendar for Oz-UK and last month’s conference was no different. The team at Oz-UK attended the event in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 6-8th December which included a large industry exhibition, supported by over 100 international companies, a scientific poster hall, expert lectures and networking opportunities. In this blog, we cover the key topics and themes that we identified at the most recent DDL conference, let’s dive in…
Technologies
In inhalation, the technology and components that make up the pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) are equally as important as the formula within them. Without the right actuator, metering valve or testing equipment, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) wouldn’t be correctly and safely delivered to the patient, providing an unpleasant administration experience.
Many of the presentations and talks at DDL covered the most innovative technologies, but the two most interesting areas (in our opinion!) included organ-on-a-chip platforms and plume geometry.
Organ-on-a-chip
In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its Modernization Act to allow for alternatives to animal testing for new drugs developed – this gave rise to the concept of organ-on-a-chip platforms for drug screening and disease metabolism investigations. This year’s DDL Annual Lecture, a prestigious accolade bestowed on individuals who have contributed much to the field of respiratory science, was awarded to Daniela Traini from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Macquarie University (where our Directors, David Lewis and Paul Young, are a fellow and a Professor, respectively). Her podium presentation covered the correlation and clinical relevance of animal models and non-clinical tests for inhaled pharmaceuticals.
Plume geometry
As required by the FDA, spray pattern and plume geometry testing are always of interest in inhalation solutions, suspensions and sprays. Inhalation experts are continually innovating new ways to improve and optimise pMDIs and nebulisers.
We highlight some of the most interesting presentations we attended at DDL below:
· Maximilian Grill, Ebenbuild GmbH – Steady or not? Using realistic, transient aerosol parameters to predict lung deposition
· Lance Jiang, University of Bristol – Aerosol dynamics of sodium chloride at high relative humidity
· Hossain Chizari, Kindeva Drug Delivery – A multi-physics theoretical and CFD approach, to predict low-GWP pMDI spray characteristics, inside USP-IP geometry
Propellants
With the looming Kigali Amendment deadline approaching, it was no surprise that propellants, especially low-global warming potential (GWP) ones like HFA-152a and HFO-1234ze, were the topic of many key presentations. One of our Directors, Paul Young, was a co-author of the “Do in-vitro dissolution rates differ between beclomethasone dipropionate particles generated from solution-based pMDIs formulated with HFA134a, HFA152a and HFO1234ze(E) propellants?” which was presented by Hui Xin (YY) Ong of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research (thanks for the mention, YY!). The research also outlined how new collaborations are emerging in the industry, and outside of the industry, to offer better alternatives for pMDIs.
Other notable presentations and posters on this topic included:
· Benjamin Stafford, Intertek Melbourn – Reducing time requirements for morphologically directed, Raman spectroscopy-based in vitro bioequivalence studies via advanced optimisation of analysis methods
· Ben Thorne, Recipharm – Device and formulation parameters influencing pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) aerosols using HFO1234ze propellant
· Lei Mao, Recipharm – Feasibility development of salbutamol sulphate pressurized metered dose inhalers using a low global warming potential propellant 1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (HFO1234ze)
· Ameet Sule, H&T Presspart Inhalation Product Technology Centre – Optimising actuator geometries of low-GWP propellant HFA-152a solution formulations
Collaborations
Our business is built on collaborative work, so we understand the importance of partnerships. It was great to see that DDL highlighted the number of companies and academics working together to further drug delivery research and create novel innovations.
Our Directors, David Lewis, Rob Johnson and Paul Young, have close relationships with academia in the UK, including the University of Bath and the University of Bristol and across the globe, including the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Macquarie University in Australia. We also have trusted industry partners such as H&T Presspart, Ab Initio Pharma and Recipharm.
One of our many partners, Francesca Buttini, from the University of Parma presented collaborative work on “Lactic acid bacteria dry powder inhaler as promising tool for pseudomonas aeruginosa growth inhibition in pulmonary dysbiosis”.
Spotlight on people
At Oz-UK, we know the importance of recognising upcoming scientists and are great supporters of the Pat Burnell Young Investigator Award that is given at DDL. In addition to the winning presentation by Brunella Grassiri, University of Pisa, on the development of pulmonary formulations with gallium siderophores against Aspergillus fumigatus lung infections, the stand-out presentations for us were:
· Scott Tavernini, University of Alberta – Predicting systemic exposure to inhaled drugs using a simplified regional deposition and pharmacokinetic method
· Ricardo Velez, Hovione – Enhanced lung delivery of mRNA using nebulized lipid nanoparticles
· Patricia Henriques, Hovione – Amorphous spray dried microparticles for nasal delivery: Tackling solubility challenges while targeting systemic nasal Absorption
· Adeel Ahmed, University of Hertfordshire – Developing a combined Calu-3 barrier and smooth muscle model of the airways utilising a perfused microphysiological system
Reflections
Attending DDL always provides a glimpse into the future of innovation and discovery in inhalation and DDL 2023 was no exception. It was inspiring to see up and coming researchers alongside large pharmaceutical companies working together to achieve the same goals. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2024 DDL conference in Edinburgh – we look forward to seeing you there!
We took the opportunity to announce our new low-GWP manufacturing line installation to meet global need for greener pMDIs and our recent collaboration with Recipharm to accelerate the development of low global warming potential pMDIs utilising HFA-152a propellants
