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Development and characterization of meropenem dry powder inhaler formulation for pulmonary drug delivery

Saiqa Muneer1, Tony Wang2, Llew Rintoul2

  • 1School of Chemistry and Physics, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George St, Brisbane 4000, Australia.

International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|August 1, 2020
PubMed

Insights

This study developed a stable meropenem dry powder inhaler (DPI) for lung delivery. The formulation significantly improved meropenem

Area of Science:

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Meropenem (MPN) is a vital antibiotic for severe bacterial infections.
  • Challenges exist with meropenem's intravenous formulation due to short half-life and instability.
  • Pulmonary delivery offers an alternative route for meropenem administration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and characterize a meropenem dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation.
  • To enhance meropenem's pulmonary delivery and stability.
  • To evaluate the potential of DPI for treating respiratory tract infections.

Main Methods:

  • Meropenem particles were micronized to 1-5 µm.
  • Lactose, L-leucine, and magnesium stearate were used as excipients.
  • Characterization involved SEM, TEM, FTIR, Raman, PXRD, and DSC.
  • High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determined meropenem concentration.
  • Twin Stage Impinger (TSI) assessed Fine Particle Fraction (FPF).

Main Results:

  • The meropenem DPI formulation was successfully developed.
  • No physical interactions were observed between meropenem and excipients.
  • The Fine Particle Fraction (FPF) increased from 1.91% to 37.5% with excipients.
  • The formulation demonstrated good aerosolization properties.

Conclusions:

  • A stable meropenem DPI formulation suitable for pulmonary delivery was created.
  • This formulation has potential for treating moderate to severe bacterial infections via inhalation.
  • Further studies are warranted to evaluate clinical efficacy and safety.
Keywords:
AerosolizationCrystallinityDSCDry powder inhalerFPFFTIRL-leucineLactoseMeropenemPulmonary deliveryRaman mappingTEMTGAXRD

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