Chapter 14 - Limits of Aerosol Therapy
Chapter 14 Limitations of Pulmonary Drug Delivery
by Andrew R. Clark, PhD
Delivering drugs to the respiratory tract of patients is a complex undertaking. The maximum dose, regional deposition pattern and delivery consistency are all important limitations that should be considered when contemplating delivery to the lungs. These performance attributes are influenced by the physiology of the patient and structure of the airways, the performance and type of the delivery modality and the physicochemical properties of the molecules. In general, current delivery technologies can deliver between a few micrograms to several 100 mgs with differing degrees of difficulty and inconvenience to the patient.
