A new dry powder
inhaler, NEXT™, whose
aim is to help improve the treatment
of asthma and COPD (chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease)
through greater user appeal
and more efficient and consistent
drug delivery, is to be presented
for the first time at the Respiratory
Drug Delivery (RDD) conference
in Florida on April 23 –
27 2006.
The NEXT™ DPI, designed by
Cambridge Consultants and Chiesi
Farmaceutici, consistently achieves
a high fine particle fraction (>50% with a range of formulations) and
has successfully completed pharmacokinetic
clinical studies. The device,
currently being ramped up for
manufacture, has also finished
extensive user-group research
where both doctors and patients
reacted positively to the DPI’s
features, which include a reliable
dose counter, a simple user-interface
and a discreet and robust, yet
modern, style. The device looks
well positioned to capture significant
market share as it delivers
the critical benefits required
by healthcare professionals
and patients.
NEXT™ is a medium resistance,
breath-activated device which
holds up to 120 doses and is
one of a new generation
of bulk reservoir DPIs. The
device is intuitive to use –
simply open, inhale and close
– and has excellent dose
uniformity. The concept was
selected according to criteria
that were identified as desirable
for an ideal device in market
research: portable, robust,
intuitive and provides feedback
to let the patients understand
that the dose has been correctly
taken, guaranteeing an accurate
and consistent dose delivery.
In the same market research,
in focus groups, the NEXTTM™ DPI obtained the consensus of
those interviewed that it represents
the device of the
future. The combination of ease-of-use,
high-performance, consistency
and reliability clearly benefits
both patients and doctors.
Asthma is one of the world’s
most prevalent diseases, affecting
between 100 million and 150
million people, according to
the World Health Organisation
(WHO). In the UK, the NHS spends
over £850 million treating
the disease, yet 1,400 people
die on average each year, of
which 90% of cases are preventable
(based on statistics from Asthma
UK). In the US, the American
Lung Association claims that
the disease affects over 20
million people, costs the country
over $11.5 billion annually
and results in the death of
over 5,000 people every year.
The WHO ranks COPD as the fourth
leading cause of death worldwide,
a position it shares with HIV/AIDS.
"The results that we have
received so far from clinical
trials and user groups have
been truly impressive,"
said Gaetano Brambilla, R&D
Project Leader at Chiesi. "The
combination of our innovative
drug formulations and Cambridge
Consultants’ design expertise
has resulted in a device that
we expect to be very competitive
towards the established market
leaders."
Dr David Ellis of Cambridge
Consultants added, "We
started from scratch, creating
new concepts for the NEXT™ device
and through close collaboration
with Chiesi we developed a substantially
improved device, both in terms
of performance and user appeal.
The entire development team
is delighted with the results
and this device should have
a positive impact on the lives
of millions of asthma and COPD
sufferers."
Chiesi will be releasing device-specific
data at the Respiratory Drug
Delivery conference, which will
be held at the Boca Raton Resort
and Club in Florida from April
23 to April 27. Both Cambridge
Consultants and Chiesi will
be exhibiting at the Technology
Exhibition from April 24 to
25.
