Metered Dose Inhalers are a front-line therapeutic healthcare story.  With the exception of the insulin syringe, inhalers for the treatment of upper respiratory ailments such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are arguably the most mission-critical drug delivery device classes currently on the market.  These combination products are relied upon by tens of millions of Americans – out of a total worldwide market of approximately 300 million – for the treatment of debilitating and life-threatening respiratory conditions. For the majority of these patients, the device in their pockets, purses, and cabinets has been and is the metered dose inhaler. Metered dose inhalers have gone through a re-birth of sorts over the last five years, as regulatory requirements and efficacy issues related to variability in patient use of metered dose inhalers have fostered design changes at both the drug and device level. GlaxoSmithKline, the world's leading respiratory drug company, has made the evolution of its metered dose inhalers a central pillar of its Corporate Responsibility policy. The market for metered dose inhalers will remain a dynamic one, as business factors related to direct-to-consumer marketing, patent expiry-driven generic competition and the changing regulatory climate create new risks and opportunities.  At the same time, the convergence of socioeconomic and technology factors is driving interest in pulmonary drug delivery technology and devices as an alternative to oral and parenteral routes of administration for systemic drugs. With at least two high-profile insulin delivery metered dose inhalers wending their way through the clinical trial process, metered dose inhalers are well-positioned to compete in the future market for systemic pulmonary drug delivery.

Publication Date: September 2006