1. Challenges and advances in the development of inhalable drug formulations for cystic fibrosis lung disease
- Author
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Yoon Yeo, Basma M. Ibrahim, Michael D. Tsifansky, and Yan Yang
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Cystic Fibrosis ,business.industry ,Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ,Respiratory dysfunction ,Gene Transfer Techniques ,Sputum ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Pharmacology ,medicine.disease ,Drug formulations ,Cystic fibrosis ,Pharmacotherapy ,Drug Delivery Systems ,Pharmaceutical Preparations ,Lung disease ,Expert opinion ,Drug delivery ,Administration, Inhalation ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,business ,Intensive care medicine ,Lung - Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem genetic disorder, which usually results in significant respiratory dysfunction. At present there is no cure for CF, but advances in pharmacotherapy have gradually increased the life expectancy of CF patients. As many drugs used in the therapy of CF are delivered by inhalation, the demand for effective and convenient inhalational CF drug formulations will grow as CF patients live longer. Knowledge of the current limitations in inhalational CF drug delivery is critical in identifying new opportunities and designing rational delivery strategies.This review discusses current and emerging therapeutic agents for CF therapy, selected physiological challenges to effective inhalational medication delivery, and various approaches to overcoming these challenges. The reader will find an integrated view of the known inhalational drug delivery challenges and the rationales for recent investigational inhalational drug formulations.An ideal drug/gene delivery system to CF airways should overcome the tenacious sputum, which presents physical, chemical and biological barriers to effective transport of therapeutic agents to the targets and various cellular challenges.
- Published
- 2011