Aerogel powder therapeutic agents
View Patent ↗Drugs in the form of very fine highly porous aerogel particles are delivered to a patient via inhalation. The aerogel particles are either an aerogelized form of a pharmaceutical or deposited upon aerogel particles produced from a non-inorganic oxide carrier matrix material, e.g. a sugar or carbohydrate. The aerogel particles are readily dissolvable by the pulmonary surfactant present in the lungs of a mammal.
1. A method of treating a disease state responsive to treatment by a therapeutic agent comprising pulmonarily administering to the alveoli of a subject in need thereof a dispersible dry powder comprising
a therapeutically effective amount of a therapeutic agent in aerogel particles wherein said particles have a density of about 0.1 to 0.001 g/cc and particle size to permit them to reach the alveoli of a human subject's lungs upon inhalation.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said particles deliver said agent into the bloodstream of said subject.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel particles contain pores of about 1 to 100 nm.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel particles have a surface area of about 100 to 1,200 m 2 /g.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel particles have a particle size of about submicron up to about 3 microns.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel particles are a carrier selected from the group consisting of sugars and carbohydrates.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic agent is insulin.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the therapeutic agent is methadone.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic agent is naltrexone.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powder is prepared from an aerogel prepared by supercritical drying at a temperature of less than 40° C.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the powder is prepared from an aerogel prepared by co-gelling the therapeutic agent with a gel-forming material selected from the group consisting of sugars and carbohydrates.
12. A method of delivering a therapeutic agent to a subject, said method comprising administering to the alveoli of said subject a dispersible dry powder comprising a therapeutically effective amount of said therapeutic agent in aerogel particles wherein said particles have a density of about 0.1 to 0.001 g/cc and particle size to permit them to reach the alveoli of a human subject's lungs upon inhalation as an inhalant.
13. A method of delivering a therapeutic agent to the bloodstream of a subject, said method comprising administering to the alveoli of said subject a dispersible dry powder comprising a therapeutically effective amount of said therapeutic agent and aerogel particles wherein said particles have a density of about 0.1 to 0.001 g/cc and particle size to permit them to reach the alveoli of a human subject's lungs upon inhalation as an inhalant.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein said agent is adsorbed onto the structure of said particles.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein said particles are directly prepared from said therapeutic agent.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the structure of said particles comprise said therapeutic agent.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein said powder is formulated for quick introduction into the bloodstream and controlled release thereafter.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the powder is formulated for slow release.
19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the powder is prepared from an aerogel prepared by supercritical drying at a temperature of less than 40° C.
20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the powder is prepared from an aerogel prepared by co-gelling the therapeutic agent with a gel-forming material selected from the group consisting of sugars and carbohydrates.
21. The method of claim 12 , wherein the aerogel particles contain pores of about 1 to 100 nm.
22. The method of claim 12 , wherein the aerogel particles have a surface area of about 100 to 1,200 m 2 /g.
23. The method of claim 12 , wherein the aerogel particles have a particle size of about submicron up to about 3 microns.
24. The method of claim 12 , wherein the aerogel particles are a carrier selected from the group consisting of sugars and carbohydrates.
25. The method of claim 12 , wherein the therapeutic agent is insulin.
26. The method of claim 12 , wherein the therapeutic agent is methadone.
27. The method of claim 12 , wherein the therapeutic agent is naltrexone.