Liquid Dosage Forms - Disperse Systems: Aerosols Flashcards
What are pharmaceutical aerosols
Pressurized dosage forms that upon actuation emit a fine dispersion of liquid and/or solid materials containing one or more active ingredients in a gaseous medium
Aerosols can be classified as
- Space sprays - disperse ingredients as an airborne mist with particle size <50um in diameter (e.g. room deodorizer, disinfectants)
- Surface sprays - disperse larger particle, generally produce a wet/coarse spray on a surface (e.g. perfumes, hair spray)
- Aerated sprays - disperse medicated foams, vaginal foams, shaving cream
Aerosols are used for local/systemic delivery of drugs as:
- Oral and lingual - antacids, local anesthetics, antiseptics
- Nasal - decongestants, anti-inflammatory steroids
- Ocular - contact lens cleaning
- Respiratory - bronchodilators, anti-inflammatory steroids, antiallergies, antivirals, smoking cessation
- Rectal - local anesthetics, anti-inflammatory steroids
- Vaginal - contraceptive foams e.g. Nonoxyenol-9
Advantages of aerosols
- Portable, easy to use and convenient
- Max stability
- Min concentration
- Can be filled aseptically
- reduce irritation; cooling effect
- easy to control
- protect unstable drugs from light, oxygen and moisture
Disadvantages of aerosols
- Expensive
- Performance can deteriorate during life of product
- limited safety hazard (flammable, pressurized)
Components of aerosols
- Product concentrate (dispersed phase) - can be liquid, emulsion, suspension, solid or powder; contains API
- Propellant (continuous phase): liquefied gas, compressed gas
Functions of propellant
- Provide the driving force to expel product from its container
- Provide the dispersion medium -> act as a solvent/vehicle
Describe liquefied gas propellant
- Gases that exist as liquids under pressure
- Propellant exists mainly as a liquid but it will also be in the head space as a gas
- When the product is used up, some of the liquid propellant will turn into gas to maintain the pressure in the can so that the spray performance is maintained
Examples of liquefied gas propellant
- Fluorinated hydrocarbon
- Hydrocarbon
- Chlorofluorocarbons
- Hydrofluoroalkanes
Describe compressed gas propellant
- Only occupy the head space above the liquid in the can
- When the valve opens, the gas pushes liquid out of the can, amount of gas remains constant but the pressure drops (more space in can)
- Spray performance is maintained by careful choice of the aerosol valve and actuator
Examples of compressed gas propellant
CO2, N2 (inert gases)
Advantages of compressed gas propellant
- Low inhalation toxicity
- High purity and chemical stability
- Inexpensive
- No environmental problems
Disadvantages of compressed gas propellant
- Require use of a nonvolatile co-solvent
- Produce coarse droplet sprays
- Pressure decreases upon use
Advantages of N2 as a propellant
- Insoluble in the product concentrate, inert
- Odorless and tasteless
Mixture of propellants allow variation in
- Vapor pressure - droplet size, leakage, choice filling process
- Liquid density - irreproducible unit doses
- Solvency - insoluble, partially soluble, completely soluble