The Volume and Resistance Compensator (VRC) is a valuable new tool from Copley Scientific, the world’s leading supplier of inhaler test equipment, for those pioneering the integration of abbreviated impactor measurements (AIM) into established workflows to streamline inhaler testing. For all orally inhaled products (OIPs), full resolution cascade impaction is a compendial method used to measure aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD). AIM, in combination with Efficient Data Analysis (EDA), has potential to reduce the time and cost of such measurements, but comparability with full resolution measurements is important and not yet assured. The new VRC directly addresses this issue and is especially relevant for the testing of dry powder inhalers (DPIs).
“Copley is committed to developing products in lockstep with the evolving requirements of the inhalation community to provide well-engineered solutions that support progress,’ said Mr Mark Copley, CEO, Copley. “AIM has merit as a route to improved analytical productivity but presents challenges too. The VRC can help analysts to optimise the use of AIM, and EDA, by improving equivalence between test conditions. It augments our existing range of AIM instrumentation which comprehensively addresses the needs of those working in this area.”
The different geometries of AIM apparatus, relative to analogous full resolution cascade impactors, give rise to differences in volume and flow resistance. The result is poor parity between flow rate rise time profiles – the rate at which air flow accelerates from zero to the test value. This is a recognised problem, particularly for passive DPIs, since with these devices start-up kinetics drive dose dispersion, aerosolisation, and delivery. The VRC:
- provides a robust easy-to-use tool that allows users to refine flow rate rise time profiles for AIM apparatus to ensure comparable conditions for aerosol generation
- allows volume and flow resistance to be independently varied
- is suitable for all types of AIM apparatus with successful matching demonstrated for both the Next Generation Impactor (NGI) and Andersen Cascade Impactor (ACI) and their AIM counterparts.
To find out more about the VRC and its ability to support the wider uptake of AIM and EDA click Here.
The new Volume and Resistance Compensator VRC – improving compatibility between abbreviated and full resolution cascade impactor data.
