Aptar Pharma, a global provider of aerosol, injection, and spray delivery systems for prescription drugs, through its Aptar Pharma Prescription Div., presented Twister®, its latest Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI) innovation, at Pharmapack Europe in Paris, France, in Feb. 2013.
It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that worldwide, some 300 million people suffer from asthma, and 240 million people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The cost of these diseases to the US healthcare system is estimated at $50.2 billion for asthma, and $32.1 billion for COPD.
The majority of asthma and COPD treatment sales in the U.S. and Europe come from drugs delivered by DPIs. In the fast-growing markets of Asia and Latin America, asthma has been treated predominantly with pMDIs, which in many countries are still considered to be more cost-effective than DPIs.
DPIs represent 50% of the total asthma/COPD market by value worldwide, with most growth seen in the U.S. and Europe. Aptar Pharma anticipates that this DPI growth trend will spread to fast-growing markets, driven by the healthcare reforms that are making asthma and COPD diagnosis and medication more available to patients.
Expectations of patients and pneumologists regarding DPIs in these markets have evolved. They are now increasingly focusing on convenience and ease of use, favoring a compact and simple design. DPIs should be of good quality to ensure a long life, and be recyclable when they need to be replaced.
Twister® is a capsule-based DPI, designed specifically to address unmet medical needs in fast-growing markets. During its development, Twister was tested and validated with different dry powder drug formulations. Twister has a simple and robust design with few components, making it cost-attractive for asthma and COPD treatments.
Twister is designed to be patient-friendly and easy to use, allowing patients easy access to their medication in three simple steps: Insert, twist, and inhale. To help improve patient compliance with the prescribed treatment, Twister is transparent, allowing the capsule and powder to be seen in the device as they are processed. In addition to these visual cues, the patient is also guided by audible feedback during inhalation.
Development of Twister by an international Aptar Pharma project team started in France and continued in China, where industrial manufacturing now takes place. Twister, which is registered as a medical device by the sFDA, is molded and assembled in a class ISO 7 cleanroom at the Aptar Pharma state-of-the-art production facility in Suzhou, China.
