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Inhaler Device Options in Emerging Markets: Innovation, Improvisation and Evolution

Gogtay JA, Aggarwal B.

RDD Asia 2014. Volume , 2014: 75-88.

Abstract:

The prevalence and incidence of obstructive airways diseases (OADs) in developing economies has witnessed a spiraling increase over the last few decades despite the fact that a large population of patients remain undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness, diagnostic tools, and accessibility to healthcare. A paradigm shift from oral to inhaled therapy is in progress in the emerging markets but still lags far behind developed countries. There is an apparent disparity between the numbers of patients with OADs and those using inhalation therapy. It is quintessential in these regions, for inhalation devices to be patient-friendly, economical, easy to learn and use, and robust enough for long term and/or multiple use. A device-centric approach has proven to be attractive in the developing markets where the availability of multiple medications in the same device and the availability of multiple devices for the same medication provides the possibility of long term and/or multiple use of the same device, which can reduce medication costs. This article describes the evolution of a unit-dose dry powder inhaler (DPI) and a pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) together with ancilliary devices that combined with a wide selection of drugs and drug combinations provide patients and physicians with an extensive range of treatment options while maintaining device familiarity.