Berry Global Healthcare has launched the PneumoHaler, a new lightweight, breath-actuated, multi-dose inhaler with a dose indicator for the effective management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Designed to provide a ready-to-use solution for new inhalation treatments, the PneumoHaler eliminates the need for pharmaceutical companies to develop their own platforms, enabling the delivery of faster-to-market solutions. Equally important, the PneumoHaler helps enhance medication adherence caused by poor user technique of pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs).

“With the PneumoHaler, we have directly addressed the issue of poor finger pressing and breath coordination,” explained Sanil Prasad, Head of Technology for Berry Bangalore and Sira. “By introducing a breath-actuated solution that removes the need for manual canister pressing and can accurately dispense the medicine at the correct time, we can provide an easier, seamless, and more effective treatment experience for patients of all ages compared to pMDIs.”

Unlike pMDIs, the PneumoHaler breath-actuated inhaler (BAI) does not require canister pressing while breathing-in, thus removing the risk of a coordination error. Another prominent feature of the PneumoHaler is its valve actuation system designed to release the drug dose only when the patient has achieved the correct inhalation airflow value. This helps maximize the effectiveness of the treatment by ensuring the correct dose is dispensed each time. By comparison, some other BAIs can sometimes release a dose when the device is shaken or if it falls over.

In addition, the PneumoHaler features a sleek ergonomic grip to ensure ease of use, and an integrated dose indicator allows individuals to monitor their medication intake.

Advanced mechanical system

Another important feature of the PneumoHaler is the device’s advanced mechanical system. Unlike some current BAIs, where the internal mechanism is always compressed – which can result in performance deterioration over time - the PneumoHaler engages only when the patient opens the mouthpiece cap for inhalation. This means the device remains stress-free for its entire shelf life, significantly reducing wear and tear to further increase its longevity and reliability.

The inhaler is also equipped with an ‘adaptive spring mechanism’, which can accommodate crimping height variations in the canister with a wider tolerance range, without compromising overall performance.

The PneumoHaler offers a customizable orifice diameter, jet length, and sump volume and can be adapted for a variety of valves and canisters, making it compatible with a wide range of treatments and enabling it to be tailored to precise customer requirements. It can be actuated at a very low airflow rate, which is readily achievable by most patients. Another outstanding feature of the inhaler is that it can be supplied with or without a priming feature, further widening its suitability for many different pharmaceutical applications.

A choice of printing and labelling options enables clear communication of vital instructions and data and provides opportunities for individual branding.

“At Berry, we understand the challenges of the respiratory landscape, in particular the need to ensure accurate dosing and maximize adherence to treatments,” said Alan Quemeneur, Global Sales Director for Berry Healthcare. “This is especially important as medicines become more sophisticated and personalized.

“The PneumoHaler has been designed primarily with patient ease in mind, removing the complexity of hand-breath coordination to offer a simplified yet highly effective inhalation experience for asthma and COPD patients. Equally important, it is readily available and easy to adapt to individual drug requirements, offering pharmaceutical companies speed-to-market.”

The PneumoHaler was launched at CPHI Barcelona in October.