ABSTRACT
The delivery of drugs via the inhaled route has been the foundation and mainstay in the therapeutic management of the majority of respiratory disorders, including asthma. In contrast to systemic routes of delivery, the inhaled route targets the drug directly to the lungs, utilizing a smaller drug dose, achieving a more rapid onset of pharmacological action, and decreasing the incidence of adverse clinical effects. Great advances in formulation science and device engineering in the last decade have seen an array of novel and innovative approaches to efficiently deliver and also target inhaled drug to the lungs. Indeed, developments in the utilization of inhaled aerosolized delivery to the respiratory tract as a gateway for systemic drug delivery with a variety of therapeutic compounds has received great interest.
