New Accessories for Testing Nebulisers with Facemasks

New accessories from Copley Scientific simplify the rigorous investigation of how a facemask impacts potential critical quality attributes of the delivered dose from a nebuliser, enhancing the clinical realism of Quality by Design and bioequivalence studies.

Prescribing clinicians routinely use facemasks in place of a mouthpiece to ease nebuliser use, especially for children or the infirm, but this can significantly impact drug delivery. The new Facemask Test Stand (FMS) and Next Generation Impactor (NGI) to FMS Interface Accessory make it straightforward to extend existing pharmacopoeia methods to investigate this effect.

Current pharmacopeia methods for delivered dose uniformity (DDU) and aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD) measurement for nebulisers are based on the use of mouthpieces. However, the use of facemasks has the potential to alter both DDU and APSD. Testing with a facemask in situ is therefore advantageous both for rigorous, clinically realistic performance assessment and for product comparison (test to reference), and mirrors the approach for spacer/valved holding chamber (VHC) equipped metered-dose inhalers (MDIs).

The FMS can be used with the full range of Copley face models – infant, child or adult - or with a user-validated alternative, as required. It enables secure interfacing of the nebuliser, with facemask in place, with the standard DDU filter holder apparatus specified for nebulisers. The corresponding test set-up for APSD measurement additionally uses the NGI to FMS Interface Accessory to ease connection of the nebuliser, via the facemask (except infant), to the NGI, which is typically the impactor of choice for nebuliser testing. In combination the two accessories support the efficient generation of DDU and APSD data for nebulisers, with a facemask in place.

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