Ex vivo and in vitro evaluation of the influence of the inhaler device and formulation on lung deposition of budesonide

Two different types of dry powder inhalers (Easyhaler® and RS01®) were used in this work to evaluate the ex vivo and in vitro performance of a budesonide inhaled formulation with recrystallised mannitol, commercial DPI-grade mannitol, or lactose. The aerodynamic performance of the budesonide formulation with recrystallised mannitol was superior when RS01® was used (FPF = 45.8%) compared to Easyhaler® (FPF = 14%). However, the aerodynamic profile was very poor in both devices when commercial mannitol was used. Interestingly, the aerosol performance of the marketed budesonide formulation significantly improved when RS01® was used compared to Easyhaler® (the original device for the formulation). Due to the significant increases in the surface energy of the commercial mannitol formulation, the aerodynamic performance of the formulation was very poor. This work demonstrates the impact of inhaler devices on the performance of inhaled formulations and considers the particle surface energy during formulation development.