Powders Require More Than Engineering Expertise

By Uwe Amann

The majority of pharmaceutical products have to enter the blood stream in order to be effective. They can be taken orally, via the intestine, by injection or infusion. In addition there are other special methods that are grouped under the collective term, "New Drug Delivery Systems". These include, for instance, transdermal therapeutic systems (TTS), whereby the skin absorbs the active pharmaceutical ingredient, or the subcutaneous injection, whereby the drug is administered almost pain-free, using injection equipment.

An alternative method for taking in the active pharmaceutical ingredient is the "micronized powder" method. In this case, a predetermined dose of powder is inhaled into the lungs (pulmonary) or over the nasal mucous membrane (nasal) and distributed in the blood stream.