CRC INHAL AEROSL PDF

Preface

A decade has passed since the original volume of this title was published. It has been the most eventful period in the history of inhaled drug products. During the 1990s, a large number of technologies were developed, which in turn resulted in the growth of specialized drug delivery companies. The international control of propellants and the growing biotechnology industry occurred in the shadow of the human genome project-the most significant scientific endeavor of this generation of scientists. The desire to improve drug delivery to and via the lungs was served by basic and applied science and engineering in a manner unsurpassed previously.

Aerosol delivery of drugs, which was historically restricted to the treatment of asthma, has been extended to treat cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary infectious diseases, diabetes, and other diseases as yet under evaluation. It is clear that the available technology is capable of achieving controlled and targeted drug delivery for a range of diseases, but in many ways the technology has outstripped our fundamental understanding of the diseases we hope to treat. Which receptors are we targeting, where are they located, how and where are molecules absorbed, and what is the desired locally therapeutic dose?

The precedent-setting Food and Drug Administration approval of the insulin product Exubera^® as a dry powder aerosol dosage form occurring at about the same time that the agency announced its strategy for elimination of chlorofluorocarbon propellant–based products is a historical development predicted in the earlier volume but from which major new developments in the field can be anticipated.

This volume was originally intended to link the mechanical and physicochemical properties of aerosols to the biology of their disposition. As an understanding of the lung biology in the context of drug delivery is of increasing importance, the need for a revised and updated version of this text is clear. Most of the chapters in the book cover areas that have seen significant developments in the last decade. Additional chapters have been added to address particular developments in specialized aerosol dosage forms.

In the last decade, two of our most distinguished and well-respected colleagues, and contributors to the first edition of this book, have passed away. Dr. David Swift died very soon after publication of the first edition, and more recently the news of Dr. Richard Evans' passing shocked the pharmaceutical aerosol sciences community. Both were remarkably young people and had much to look forward to, which makes their loss all the more poignant and leaves a large gap that would have been filled by their future scientific and technical contributions. Of the remaining original authors, most have continued to contribute to the field, and several leading researchers have been added to the list of contributors. I hope that our efforts have resulted in a volume that continues to serve as an introduction to those entering the field and a reference text for our colleagues and peers.