Aerosol Characteristics of Admixture of Budesonide Inhalation Suspension with a Beta2-Agonist, Procaterol

ABSTRACT Background Nebulizeddrugs for asthma treatment are often mixed together in order to simplify inhalation regimens, although not recommended. We therefore evaluated aerosol characteristics and physicochemical stability of the admixture of an inhaled corticosteroid suspension with a beta2-agonist solution. Methods An 8-stage cascade impactorwas used to measure the particle size distribution of admixture of Pulmicort ® Respules ® ( budesonide, 0.5 mg/2 mL) with Meptin ® Inhalation Solution Unit ( procaterolhydrochloride, 30 Mg/0.3 mL) from a jet nebulizer, PARI LC Plus ® . Concentration of each drug was assayed with high- pressure liquid chromatography. Physicochemical compatibility was also assessed up to 24 hours after mixing. Results With regard to budesonide, impactor parameters such as mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and respirable mass (RM) were comparable between admixtures and single-drug preparations (2.92 ± 0.03 vs 2.99 ± 0.14 µm, 146.8 ± 2.9 vs 147.6 ± 8.2 µg, respectively). On the other hand, delivery rates of procaterolincreased when admixed with budesonidesuspension, resulting in significantly higher RM (15.1 ± 0.8 vs 10.2 ± 0.5 µg, p Conclusions There is a possibility that admixture might influence of aerodynamic characteristics of procaterol, but not budesonide. In vivo data will be needed for the clinical implications of our findings.