Compact Integrated System for Quantifying Inhaler Dose Concentration

Aerosol delivery of pharmaceuticals is an effective means of treating numerous diseases. Proper administration of drugs in this form requires knowledge of the droplet size and concentration of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) within the aerosol. Optical imaging is a robust method for obtaining this information. Physical Sciences Incorporated proposes to develop, build, and test a novel measurement system including optical patternation that will monitor droplet size and API concentration produced by metered dose inhalers. The development program will enhance the NIST prototype system by adding optical patternation software capable of quantifying the API concentration using fluorescence intensity measurements and correlating droplet fluorescence and scattering images. The resulting system will provide a robust, cost-effective measurement solution for qualifying commercial inhaler use with new drug formulations.