Modulation of aerosol clouds produced by pressurised inhalation aerosols

The inclusion of non-volatile components such as glycerol or polyethylene glycol in hydrofluoralkane (HFA) solution formulations for pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs), greatly increases the particle size of the aerosol. Cloud characteristics can be further modulated by permuting this factor with the choice of propellant and the dimensions of the actuator, to give a chosen fine particle dose and particle diameter. This principle has been used to design solutions which closely match the performance of chlorofluorocarbon based suspension formulations containing beclomethasone dipropionate, budesonide and ipratropium bromide as assessed for pharmaceutical equivalence using the Andersen Cascade impactor.