To help meet the need for better correlations between in vitro test data and in vivo performance (IVIVCs), Copley Scientific, a UK supplier of inhaler test equipment, has refined the design of a number of pieces of in vitro testing equipment to enable a streamlined, easy-to-use, and compact test set-up for more clinically representative testing of orally inhaled products (OIPs).
The proposed set-up uses new components alongside established equipment to deliver data that represent in vivo behaviour more accurately than data from standard test methodologies, originally designed for application in a QC environment.
Achieving closer correlation between routine laboratory data and the efficiency of drug delivery to specific regions of the lung is an important goal in inhaled product testing, the company says. Better IVIVCs support the development of new OIP products and technology. They also underpin the secure demonstration of bioequivalence, a critical step in the development of generic OIPs and help reduce the risk of unexpected outcomes in clinical trials.
Copley Scientific's new test set-up includes the Alberta Idealised Throat (AIT) and the BRS 3000 breathing simulator. Adult and child versions of the AIT have a standardised geometry that has been shown to reflect deposition in the throat more representatively than the standard USP induction port used in routine OIP testing. A breathing simulator similarly supports the application of test conditions that are closely matched to the physiology and capabilities of a target patient group.
