An Advancing Sphere

Rising levels of COPD, including asthma are driving a lot of innovations in inhalers with an aim to improve the overall effective management of these diseases

- Swati Rana

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was the fifth leading cause of death in 2002 and will become the third leading cause of death across the globe by 2030, according to WHO. Moreover, its incidence is expected to increase in the coming years due to higher smoking prevalence and ageing populations in many countries. The increase in COPD is one of the major growth drivers of pulmonary drug delivery market. According to markets and markets report, global pulmonary drug delivery market is projected to reach $52.37 billion by 2021 from $36.10 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 6.5 percent during the forecast period. The report stated that the growth in this market is mainly driven by rising incidences of respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, and cystic fibrosis, increasing preference of pulmonary route of drug delivery and increasing technological developments in the form of smart/digital inhalers.

Although medication and treatment for COPD and asthma are available in oral, injectable dosage forms as well, inhaled therapy is preferred globally, because of the high drug concentration which can be achieved locally within the lungs, with reduced risk of systemic side effects. Global clinical guidelines issued by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) recommend that persistent, moderate-to-severe asthma and COPD at high risk of exacerbations be treated with a combination therapy of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta-agonist (LABA), administered via an inhaler. The guidelines also recognise that this therapy is best administered in a fixed-dose combination (FDC) from a single inhaler, rather than from two separate inhalers. This is demonstrated by reduced adherence and increased discontinuation rates in patients using multiple inhalers versus those using FDC devices. Thus, inhalers remain a major part of asthma treatment.

Trends in inhalers