World Asthma Day 2021
World Asthma Day (WAD) (May 5, 2021) is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, (GINA) (www.ginasthma.org), a World Health Organization collaborative organization founded in 1993. WAD is held each May to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide.
WHO recognizes that asthma is of major public health importance. According to WHO, it was estimated that more than 339 million people had Asthma globally (1) and there were 417,918 deaths due to asthma at the global level in 2016. (3, 4)
Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage asthma to reduce and prevent asthma attacks, also called episodes or exacerbations.1
This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”. The theme provides a call to action to address common widely held myths and misconceptions concerning asthma that prevent persons with asthma from enjoying optimal benefit from the major advances in the management of this condition. Common misconceptions surrounding asthma include:
- Asthma is a childhood disease; individuals will grow out of it as they age.
- Asthma is infectious.
- Asthma sufferers should not exercise.
- Asthma is only controllable with high dose steroids.
The Truth is:
- Asthma can occur at any age (in children, adolescents, adults and elderly)
- Asthma is not infectious. However, viral respiratory infections (such as common cold and the flu) can cause asthma attacks. Or In children, asthma is frequently associated with allergy, but asthma which starts adulthood is less often allergic.
- When asthma is well controlled, asthma subjects are able to exercise and even perform top sport.
- Asthma is most often controllable with low dose inhaled steroids
Learn more about the Global Initiative for Asthma here
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What have dry-powder inhaler’s (DPI’s) to do with Asthma?
What have dry-powder inhaler’s (DPI’s) to do with Asthma?“DPIs are commonly used to treat respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and COPD although DPIs (such as Inhalable insulin) have also been used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.[1]
DPIs are an alternative to the aerosol-based inhalers commonly called metered-dose inhaler (or MDI). The DPIs may require some procedure to allow a measured dose of powder to be ready for the patient to take. The medication is commonly held either in a capsule for manual loading or a proprietary from inside the inhaler. Once loaded or actuated, the operator puts the mouthpiece of the inhaler into their mouth and takes a sharp, deep inhalation (ensuring that the medication reaches the lower parts of the lungs), holding their breath for 5–10 seconds. There are a variety of such devices. The dose that can be delivered is typically less than a few tens of milligrams in a single breath since larger powder doses may lead to provocation of cough.” (Wikipedia)
News on dry-powder inhalers
Lipid-coated nanocrystals of paclitaxel as dry powder for inhalation: Characterization, in-vitro performance, and pharmacokinetic assessment
Watch MEGGLE’s solutions for dry powder inhalation here:
Moreover, MEGGLE has a new portfolio extension with a fine milled lactose grade: InhaLac® 300
InhaLac® 300 – a new inhalative lactose grade with specific particle size distribution is characterized by the typical flow- and surface-characteristic of fine milled lactose grades. This provides an additional tool for the formulator to tune and optimize the performance of the DPI product.
InhaLac® 300 is a lactose grade with 90% of the particles between 35 – 50 μm (Sympatec) or 40 – 56 μm (Malvern).