Pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the company that introduced the revolutionary Multi Dose Dry Powder Inhaler (MDPI) that came to be known worldwide as the ‘Diskus,’ recently celebrated the production of the one billionth such delivery device.
Widely used to treat COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma, the disk-shaped breath-activated metered-dose dispenser or ‘Accuhalor’ as it is also called, delivers medication in dry powder form more precisely and effectively than standard aerosol inhalers. The device has won several international awards including the Queen’s Award in the UK for its revolutionary design, the company said.
“The milestone of distributing a billion Diskus devices to help people with respiratory diseases breathe easier, comes even as statistics indicate that COPD will become the third major cause of death worldwide by 2020,” said Stuart Chapman, Managing Director of GSK Pharmaceuticals in Sri Lanka, in a statement. “COPD is often misdiagnosed as asthma or diagnosed in late stages. There is clearly a lot more to be done to improve management and treatment of the disease.” Unlike with some aerosol inhalers, a user of the Diskus does not need to hold the inhaler to his or her mouth and push down on a canister and inhale simultaneously to administer the proper dose.
To dispense medication, the patient actuates a lever . This causes the lidding material to be peeled away from the base material of a blister strip, exposing the powder-filled blister within the Diskus device. The product is then inhaled by the patient through a manifold and a mouth piece,” the company said. |
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