A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF FORMULATIONS FOR INHALATION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a novel process used for the preparation of dry powder formulations for inhalation.

Background of the invention

For treating a number of respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive disease (COPD), it is useful to administer the active substance by inhalation. Preferably, the dry powder formulations for the treatment of respiratory diseases are administered through inhalation, since they are directly delivered to the affected sites (airways) in high doses via this route, have a short onset time, and they lack or have minimal systemic side effects. In DPIs, active substances are administered as a powder after formulating them with inert carriers, including lactose, glucose, and mannitol. Compared to other pulmonary drug delivery systems, such as nebulizers and pMDIs, DPIs offer several advantages, including enhanced drug stability (i.e. active substance stability), greater accuracy in dosing, elimination of hand-to-mouth coordination, breath- actuated delivery, and consequently, an overall improvement in patient compliance.

Typically, DPI's contain a dose system, which contains the powder formulation either in bulk supply or quantified into individual doses stored in unit dose compartments, like hard gelatin capsules or blisters. Bulk containers are equipped with a measuring system operated by the patient in order to isolate a single dose from the powder immediately before inhalation.

Dry powder formulations are generally formulated as a powder mixture of coarse carrier and micronized active substance with mass median aerodynamic particle diameters of 1 -5 μηι. Only small amount of the micronized active substance particles is needed per single dose to provide desired therapeutic effect. Since the size of the active substance particles is very small, it has very poor flowability and it is very difficult to fill the small amount of active substance particles into unit dose compartments or bulk containers. The poor flowability is also detrimental to the active substance unable to leave the inhaler and remaining adhered to the interior of the inhaler or leaving the inhaler as large agglomerates; agglomerated particles, in turn, cannot reach the bronchiolar and alveolar sites of the lungs. The uncertainty as to the extent of agglomeration of the particles between each actuation of the inhaler and also between inhalers and different batches of particles, leads to poor dose reproducibility as well. Because of their poor flowability and extreme agglomeration tendency, achieving the high dose reproducibility with micronised active substance particles is also difficult.

Successful management of the respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) depends on achieving adequate delivery of inhaled active substances to the lung and improving lung deposition. For this purpose, it is needed to prepare the dry powder formulations with high dose reproducibility. High dose reproducibility requires excellent content uniformity and reproducible dose weighing of the powder into the dose system (capsule, blister, bulk container, etc) as well as complete discharge of this dose system by the inspiratory air during inhalation.

Therefore, the aim of the present invention is to provide a process which is used for preparing the homogeneous dry powder formulation with high content uniformity that enables high dose reproducibility to be achieved.

The Detailed Description of the Invention

The active substance has to be diluted with suitable carriers to prepare dry powder formulation for inhalation. Carrier particles are used to improve active substance flowability, thus improving dosing accuracy, minimizing the dose variability compared with active substance alone and making them easier to handle during manufacturing operations. Additionally, with the use of carrier particles, active substance particles are emitted from the medicament compartments (capsule, blister, etc.) more readily, hence, complete discharge of the medicament compartments by the inspiratory air during inhalation can be achieved and the inhalation efficiency in terms of emitted dose and fine particle fraction (FPF) increases.

Additionally, moisture uptake can directly affect the flowability of the micronized powders and the force to detach the micronized active substance particles from the carrier surface. It is known that use of an additive such as magnesium stearate, also helps to minimize the influence of penetrating moisture during the storage of said formulation and results in the dry powder formulation to be more stable against the moisture. Thus, the quality of the pharmaceutical formulation remains considerably better than conventional formulations which are free of magnesium stearate even on storage under extreme conditions of temperature and humidity. Therefore, use of magnesium stearate also improves the moisture resistance of the dry powder formulations.

The active substance has to be mixed with carrier and/or additive particles using powder mixture technology for preparing the dry powder formulation. For high dose reproducibility, it is also necessary to perform an efficient mixing process that is used for preparing the dry powder formulation with high content uniformity. Therefore, the process that is used for preparing the dry powder formulation has an important role to produce the homogeneous dry powder formulation in terms of achieving high content uniformity and high dose reproducibility.

It has surprisingly been found that a process for the preparation of the dry powder formulation for inhalation that enable said formulation to be produced with high content uniformity to achieve high dose reproducibility.

The process in accordance with the present invention is used for the preparation of the dry powder formulation comprising an active substance, a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and magnesium stearate. The process of the invention for the preparation of the dry powder formulation comprises the following steps: a) the additive is divided into two portions,

b) first portion of the additive is mixed with the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier for a period of time to obtain Premix-1 and second portion of the additive is mixed with the active substance for a period of time to obtain Premix-2, c) then, Premix-1 and Premix-2 are added into a suitable mixing apparatus and they are mixed for a period of time to obtain the dry powder formulation,

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the amount of the first portion of the additive mixed with the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier to the amount of the second portion of the additive mixed with the active substance is between 100:1 and 1 :100.

In another embodiment of the present invention, to combine Premix-1 and Premix-2, initially Premix-1 and Premix-2 is divided into the equal-size portions separately and then they are added alternately layer by layer to a suitable mixing apparatus in step c) to be mixed. While the portions of Premix-1 and Premix-2 are added alternately layer by layer to the mixing apparatus, the mixing is proceeding. The number of the equal-size portions of the Premix-1 and Premix-2 are same as each other. According to the present invention, the number of the substantially equal-size portions of each premix is at least 2, preferably between 2 and 60, more preferably between 3 and 45, more preferably between 4 and 25. Additionally, the size of the portions of each premix depends on the total amount of the premix. In another words, if the total amount of the Premix-1 is much more than the total amount of the Premix-2, when the Premix-1 and Premix-2 is divided into the same number of equal size portions separately, the size of the each portion of the Premix-1 will also be much more than the size of the each portion of the Premix-2.

Within the scope of the invention, the term "equal-size" means that the amounts of the portions of the any premix (Premix-1 or Premix-2) are equal to each other and the variability of the amounts of the portions is ±5%, preferably ±3%, more preferably ±2%, most preferably ±1 % by weight.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the additive that is used in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the invention is preferably magnesium stearate.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the additive, preferably magnesium stearate, is divided into two portions and each of the portions of the additive is mixed with the carrier and the active substance separately to obtain Premix-1 and Premix-2 respectively wherein the ratio of the amount of the first portion of the additive mixed with the carrier to the amount of the second portion of the additive mixed with the active substance is between 100:1 and 1:100, for example 95:1, 90:1, 85:1, 80:1, 75:1, 70:1, 65:1, 60:1, 55:1 , 50:1 , 45:1 , 40:1 , 35:1, 30:1, 25:1, 20:1, 15:1, 10:1, 5:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:25, 1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 1:55, 1:60, 1:65, 1:70, 1:75, 1:80, 1:85, 1:90, 1 :95 preferably between 75:1 and 1 :50, for example 72:1 , 69:1 , 66:1 , 63:1 , 61:1, 57:1 , 54:1, 51:1, 48:1, 45:1, 42:1, 39:1, 36:1, 33:1, 27:1, 24:1, 21:1, 18:1, 12:1, 9:1, 6:1, 3:1, 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:24, 1:27, 1:33, 1:36, 1:39, 1:42, 1:48; more preferably 50:1 and 1:25, for example 49:1, 47:1, 44:1, 43:1, 41:1, 38:1, 37:1, 34:1, 32:1, 29:1, 26:1, 23:1, 19:1, 17:1, 13:1, 11:1, 8:1, 7:1, 4:1, 2:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:7, 1:8, 1:11, 1:13, 1:17, 1:19, 1:22, 1:23; most preferably 25:1 and 1:1, for example 24.5:1, 23.5:1, 22.5:1, 21.5:1, 20.5:1, 19.5:1, 18.5:1, 17.5:1, 16.5:1, 15.5:1, 14.5:1, 13.5:1, 12.5:1, 11.5:1, 10.5:1, 9.5:1, 8.5:1, 7.5:1, 6.5:1, 5.5:1, 4.5:1, 3.5:1, 2.5:1, 1.5:1. In another embodiment of the present invention, the components, which are the carrier, the magnesium stearate and the active substance, are added into the suitable mixing apparatus through a suitable screening apparatus. If desired, once the mixing process is finished, the entire powder mixture can be passed through screening apparatus at least one time. The components of the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the invention are preferably added through a screening apparatus, preferably a sieve, with a mesh size of 0.05 to 3 mm, more preferably 0.1 to 1 .0 mm, most preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

According to the present invention, the sieve that is used in the process of the invention is suitable for sieving materials that are used for preparing pharmaceutical formulations.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the components of each step in the process are mixed using any suitable blending apparatus, such as high shear mixer (for example a QMM, PMA or TRV series mixer) or a low shear tumbling mixer (a Turbula mixer). The mixing during the preparation of the dry powder formulation is performed using a high shear mixer or a low shear tumbling mixer, whichever is appropriate, with the speed rate of 2 to 250 rpm, preferably 5 to 100 rpm, more preferably 10 to 60 rpm.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the mixing apparatus in which the components of the dry powder formulations (the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the additive and the active substance) is mixed, is preferably a suitable mixing vessel. In another embodiment of the present invention, the mixing period of the components in each step of the process can depend on the particle size distribution of the components, the total weight of the components to be mixed or another condition of the process, preferably the mixing period of the components in each step of the process is between 5 minutes and 250 minutes.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier contained in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the invention is selected from the group comprising lactose, mannitol, glucose, trehalose, cellobiose, sorbitol, maltitol or a combination of two or more of them, for example a combination of mannitol and glucose, or mannitol and trehalose, or mannitol and sorbitol, or mannitol and cellobiose, or mannitol and maltitol, or lactose and mannitol, or lactose and glucose, or lactose and trehalose, or lactose and sorbitol, or lactose and cellobiose, or lactose and maltitol. According to the present invention, lactose is preferably used as the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Lactose used in the process according to the invention is preferably anyhdrous lactose or lactose monohydrate.

According to the invention, "pharmaceutically acceptable" refers to the properties and/or substances which are acceptable to the patient from a pharmacological-toxicological point of view and to the manufacturing pharmaceutical formulation. The amount of the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is much more than the total amount of the active substance and the magnesium stearate in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the present invention. Therefore, the particle size of the carrier particles is also important for the flowing properties of the dry powder formulation prepared by the process in accordance with the invention. Therefore, the volume median diameter of the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, preferably lactose, used in the process of the present invention, is between 30 μηι and 250 μηι, for example 35 μηι, 40 μηι, 45 μηι, 50 μηι, 55 μηι, 60 μηι, 65 μηι, 70 μηι, 75 μηι, 80 μηι, 85 μηι, 90 μηι, 95 μηι, 100 μηι, 105 μηι, 1 10 μηι, 1 15 μηι, 120 μηι, 125 μηι, 130 μηι, 135 μηι, 140 μηι, 145 μηι, 150 μηι, 155 μηι, 160 μηι, 165 μηι, 170 μηι, 175 μηι, 180 μηι, 185 μηι, 190 μηι, 195 μηι, 200 μηι, 205 μηι, 210 μηι, 215 μηι, 220 μηι, 225 μηι, 230 μηι, 235 μηι, 240 μηι, 245 μηι; preferably between 40 μηι and 225 μηι, for example 43 μηι, 48 μηι, 57 μηι, 64 μηι, 76 μηι, 82 μηι, 93 μηι, 106 μηι, 1 19 μηι, 121 μηι, 133 μηι, 142 μηι, 151 μm, 165 μηι, 173 μηι, 186 μm, 192 μηι, 203 μm, 207 μηι, 21 1 μm, 216 μηι, 218 μm, 222 μηι; more preferably between 45 μηι and 215 μm, for example 47 μηι, 52 μηι, 58 μm, 66 μηι, 72 μm, 83 μm, 91 μηι, 103 μm, 1 17 μηι, 125 μηι, 132 μm, 138 μηι, 143 μm, 149 μm, 154 μηι, 159 μm, 162 μηι, 168 μm, 174 μm, 179 μηι, 183 μm, 188 μηι, 192 μm, 197 μm, 206 μηι, 209 μm, 213 μηι; most preferably 50 μm and 200 μηι, for example 53 μηι, 59 μm, 64 μηι, 73 μm, 77 μm, 81 μηι, 83 μm, 86 μηι, 89 μm, 92 μm, 97 μηι, 99 μm, 101 μηι, 106 μm, 1 12 μηι, 1 14 μηι, 1 18 μm, 121 μηι, 133 μm, 146 μηι, 151 μηι, 156 μm, 161 μηι, 167 μm, 177 μηι, 179 μm, 184 μm, 189 μηι, 194 μm, 199 μηι.

The carrier is present in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process according to the invention in an amount of 70% to 99%, preferably in an amount of 85% to 99%, more preferably in an amount of 90% to 99%, most preferably in an amount of 95% to 99% by weight based on the total amount of the dry powder formulation. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier used in the process of the invention may preferably consist of two fractions each of which has a different particle-size; fine carrier and coarse carrier. The type of the fine carrier can be the same as or different from the type of the coarse carrier: The fine carrier and coarse carrier may constitute a combination of mannitol and glucose, or mannitol and trehalose, or mannitol and sorbitol, or mannitol and cellobiose, or mannitol and maltitol, or lactose and mannitol, or lactose and glucose, or lactose and trehalose, or lactose and sorbitol, or lactose and cellobiose, or lactose and maltitol. According to present invention, lactose is preferably used as both of the fine carrier and coarse carrier in the process of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, lactose is anyhdrous lactose or lactose monohydrate.

If the dry powder formulation prepared by the process according to the invention comprises fine carrier and coarse carrier (preferably fine lactose and coarse lactose), the fine carrier and coarse carrier are mixed to obtain carrier mixture before they are mixed with the portion of the additive.

It is know that the addition of low surface free energy materials such as magnesium stearate, to the carrier-based dry powder formulation increases the aerosolisation efficiency of dry powder formulations, by decreasing the active substance-carrier adhesion and thus facilitating the active substance detachment upon device actuation. Additionally, use of the magnesium stearate the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the present invention, also helps to minimize the influence of penetrating moisture during the storage of said formulation and results in said formulation to be more stable against the moisture. Thus, the quality of the pharmaceutical formulation remains considerably better than conventional formulations which are free of the magnesium stearate even on storage under extreme conditions of temperature and humidity. Therefore, use of magnesium stearate also improves the moisture resistance of the dry powder formulations. However, the magnesium stearate is poorly water soluble, its presence in such amount may raise some concerns as to a potential irritation or toxicity of this excipient, part of which can be inhaled by the patient together with the active substance. Therefore, it is important to determine the optimum concentration of the magnesium stearate that enables eliminating or minimizing potential irritation or toxicity of this excipient while getting balanced interparticulate forces between the active substance and the carrier surface which will enable maximum aerosolisation deposition, and minimizing the influence of penetrating moisture during the storage of the formulation. According to the present invention, the optimum total amount of the magnesium stearate is found as less than 1 .5% by weight based on the total amount of the dry powder formulation to achieve aforementioned effects at the same time. The preferred total amount of the magnesium stearate contained in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process according to the invention is between 0.02% and 1 .0%, for example 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, 0.2%, 0.25%, 0.30%, 0.35%, 0.40%, 0.45%, 0.55%, 0.60%, 0.65%, 0.70%, 0.75%, 0.80%, 0.85%, 0.90%, 0.95%; more preferred total amount of the magnesium stearate contained in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process according to the invention is between 0.05% and 0.75%, for example 0.075%, 0.085%, 0.14%, 0.18%, 0.24%, 0.28%, 0.34%, 0.38%, 0.44%, 0.48%, 0.52%, 0.56%, 0.64%, 0.68%, 0.72%; most preferred total amount of the magnesium stearate contained in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process according to the invention is between 0.10% and 0.50%, for example 0.13%, 0.16%, 0.19%, 0.21 %, 0.23%, 0.26%, 0.29%, 0.31 %, 0.33%, 0.36%, 0.39%, 0.42%, 0.46%, 0.49%, by weight based on the total amount of the dry powder formulation.

The volume median diameter of the magnesium stearate contained in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the invention is between 1 μηι and 100 μηι, preferably, 1 μηι and 50 μηι, more preferably, 1 μηι and 25 μηι, most preferably 1 μηι and 15 μηι.

The volume median diameter (Dv ₅₀ or Dv _{0 5} ) is the median for a volume distribution in such a way that 50% of the volume of the particle diameter is less than the median and 50% of the volume of the particles diameter is more than the median.

The volume median diameter of the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the magnesium stearate and the active substance used in the process of the invention for preparing the dry powder formulation are preferably measured by means of a laser diffraction method. More specifically, the volume median diameter of the carrier and the volume median diameter of the magnesium stearate are measured using a dry dispersion method using air as a dispensing agent on a "Malvern Mastersizer 2000 Particle Size Analyzer". On the other hand, the volume median diameter of the active substance is measured using a dry dispersion or a liquid dispersion method, whichever is appropriate, making use of a suitable dispensing agent (air, water, solvent, etc) on a "Malvern Mastersizer 2000 Particle Size Analyzer". Since the micronized particles, such as the magnesium stearate and the active substance, have high surface energy and thus they are highly adhesive and cohesive, they have poor flowability and are prone to form agglomerated particles. According to the invention, in the process for the preparation of the dry powder formulation comprising the magnesium stearate and the active substance, the method of the addition of these components is of great importance for the homogeneity of the formulation. When the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the magnesium stearate and the active substance are mixed in accordance with the process of the invention, the magnesium stearate particles are distributed homogeneously over the surface of much larger carrier particles, and since the adhesion and cohesion forces between carrier and active substance are balanced because of this homogeneous distribution of the magnesium stearate, the active substance is also distributed among the dry powder formulation homogeneously when the active substance is mixed with the carrier. Consequently, the process of the invention provides the dry powder formulation with good content uniformity, and this enable reproducible dose weighing of the powder into the dose system (such as capsule, blister, cartridge, etc.) and complete discharge of this dose system by the inspiratory air during inhalation which are necessary for high dose reproducibility. The dry powder formulation that is prepared using the process of the invention has also a good flowability for inhaler filling. This also allows accurate metering of said dry powder formulation. Therefore, said formulation can be uniformly filled into blisters, capsules or reservoirs suitably used in dry powder inhalers, and thus, any dose inhaled by a patient from the respective blister, capsule, or reservoir during inhalation can be delivered with a high dose accuracy. Having said that, the dry powder formulation with good flow properties also contributes to an almost complete discharge of the powder from the inhaler during inhalation.

The active substance used in the process of the present invention is selected from a group comprising steroids such as alcometasone, beclomethasone, beclomethasone dipropionate, betamethasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, clobetasol, deflazacort, diflucortolone, desoxymethasone, dexamethasone, fludrocortisone, flunisonide, fluocinolone, fluometholone, fluticasone, fluticasone proprionate, fluticasone furoate, hydrocortisone, triamcinolone, nandrolone decanoate, neomycin sulphate, nimexolone, methylprednisolone and prednisolone; bronchodilators such as 32-agonists including vilanterol, vilanterol trifenatate, salbutamol, formoterol, salmeterol, fenoterol, bambuterol, bitolterol, sibenadet, metaproterenol, epinephrine, isoproterenol, pirbuterol, procaterol, terbutaline and isoetharine antimuscarinics including ipratropium and tiotropium, and xanthines including aminophylhne and theophylline; nitrates such as isosorbide mononitrate, isosorbide dinitrate and glyceryl trinitrate; antihistamines such as azelastine, chlorpheniramine, astemizole, cetirizine, cinnarizine, desloratadine, loratadine, hydroxyzine, diphenhydramine, fexofenadine, ketotifen, promethazine, trimeprazme and terfenadine; anti-inflammatory agents such as piroxicam, nedocromil, benzydamine, diclofenac sodium, ketoprofen, ibuprofen, heparinoid, cromoglycate, fasafungine, lodoxamide and p38 MAP kinase inhibitors, anticholinergic agents such as atropine, benzatropme, bipenden, cyclopentolate, oxybutinin, orphenadine, glycopyrromum, glycopyrrolate, procyclidine, propantheline, propiverine, tiotropium, trihexyphenidyl, tropicamide, trospium, ipratropium bromide and oxitropnum bromide; leukotriene receptor antagonists such as montelukast and zafirlukast; pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, enantiomers, racemic mixtures or derivatives of any of the foregoing.

As used herein, the term "active substance" refers to a substance, as a chemical compound or complex that has a measurable beneficial physiological effect on the body, such as a therapeutic effect in treatment and prophylaxis of a disease or disorder, when administered in an effective amount.

The phrase "effective amount" refers to that amount of a substance that produces some desired local or systemic effect at a reasonable benefit/risk ratio applicable to any treatment. The present invention relates in particular to the process for preparing dry powder formulation containing the active substance in an amount of 0.05 to 2.5%, more preferably present in an amount of 0.05 to 1 .5%, most preferably present in an amount of 0.1 to 1 .0 % by weight based on the total amount of the dry powder formulation. The volume median diameter of the active substance contained in the dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the invention is between 0.5 μηι and 15 μηι, preferably 1 μηι and 10 μηι, more preferably 1 μηι and 6 μηι, most preferably 1 μηι and 4.5 μηι.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the active substance used in the process for preparing the dry powder formulation is preferably vilanterol or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, more preferably vilanterol triphenylacetate (i.e. vilanterol trifenatate).

Vilanterol is a LABA (long-acting 3 ₂ -adrenoceptor agonist) with a 24-hour duration of action that is used for the preparation of a medicament in the prophylaxis and treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), respiratory tract infection and upper respiratory tract disease. It is also known with the chemical name of 4-{(1 R)-2-[(6-{2-[(2,6- dichlorobenzyl)oxy]ethoxy}hexyl)amino]-1 -hydroxyethyl}-2-(hydroxymethyl) phenol. Vilanterol or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, in particular the acetate, triphenylacetate, a-phenylcinnamate, 1 -naphthoate and (R)-mandelate salts, are specifically described in WO03/024439A1 as well as the preparation method thereof.

It is necessary to deliver the active substance with 24-hour duration of action, such as vilanterol, to the lungs in effective amount for the treatment to guarantee the maintenance the effect of the active substance during 24-hour duration for success of the once-daily administration of said formulation. Therefore, the process according to the invention is useful to prepare the dry powder formulation comprising vilanterol or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, preferably vilanterol triphenylacetate, with good content uniformity and thus also providing high dose reproducibility to guarantee the maintenance the effect of the active substance during 24-hour duration upon each inhalation.

In the light of the abovementioned description, the process according to the present invention for the preparation of the dry powder formulation preferably comprises the following steps:

a) the magnesium stearate is divided into two portions,

b) the first portion of the magnesium stearate is mixed with the lactose for a period of time to obtain Premix-1 and the second portion of the magnesium stearate is mixed with vilanterol triphenylacetate for a period of time to obtain Premix-2, c) then, Premix-1 and Premix-2 are added into a suitable mixing apparatus and they are mixed for a period of time to obtain the dry powder formulation,

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the amount of the first portion of the magnesium stearate mixed with the lactose to the amount of the second portion of the magnesium stearate mixed with the vilanterol triphenylacetate is between 100:1 and 1 :100, preferably between 75:1 and 1 :50, more preferably 50:1 and 1 :25, most preferably 25:1 and 1 :1 .

In another embodiment of the present invention, to combine Premix-1 and Premix-2, initially Premix-1 and Premix-2 is divided into the equal-size portions separately and then they are added alternately layer by layer to a suitable mixing apparatus in step c) to be mixed. While the portions of Premix-1 and Premix-2 are added alternately layer by layer to the mixing apparatus, the mixing is proceeding. The number of the equal-size portions of the Premix-1 and Premix-2 is same as each other. According to the present invention, the number of the substantially equal-size portions of each premix is at least 2, preferably between 2 and 60, more preferably between 3 and 45, more preferably between 4 and 25.

Within the scope of the invention, the emitted dose (ED) is the total mass of the active substance emitted from the device upon the actuation. It does not include the material left inside or on the surfaces of the device. The ED is measured by collecting the total emitted mass from the device in an apparatus frequently identified as a dose uniformity sampling apparatus (DUSA), and recovering this by a validated quantitative wet chemical assay.

Within the scope of the invention, the fine particle dose (FPD) is the total mass of active substance which is emitted from the device upon the actuation which is present in a mass median aerodynamic particle size smaller than a defined limit. This limit is generally taken to be 5 μηι if not expressly stated to be an alternative limit, such as 3 μηι or 1 μηι, etc. The FPD is measured using an impactor or impinger, such as a twin stage impinger (TSI), multi-stage impinger (MSI), Andersen Cascade Impactor or a Next Generation Impactor (NGI). Each impactor or impinger has a pre-determined aerodynamic particle size collection cut points for each stage. The FPD value is obtained by interpretation of the stage-by-stage active substance recovery quantified by a validated quantitative wet chemical assay where either a simple stage cut is used to determine FPD or a more complex mathematical interpolation of the stage-by-stage deposition is used.

The term "mass median aerodynamic diameter" (MMAD) is a measure of the aerodynamic size of a dispersed aerosol particle. The aerodynamic diameter is used to describe an aerosolized particle in terms of its settling behavior, and is the diameter of a unit density sphere having the same settling velocity, generally in air, as the particle in question. The aerodynamic diameter encompasses particle shape, density, and physical size. MMAD refers to the midpoint or median of the aerodynamic particle size distribution of an aerosolized collection of particles determined by Andersen Cascade Impactor (ACI), Next Generation Impactor (NGI), or Marple Miller Impactor at each of the common flow rates. According to the present invention, the mass median aerodynamic particle diameter of the active substance is between 1 and 5 μηι.

The fine particle fraction (FPF) is normally defined as the FPD divided by the ED and expressed as a percentage. Herein, the FPF of ED is referred to as FPF _(ED) and is calculated as

FPF _(ED) =(FPD/ED)x 100% According to the present invention, the dose reproducibility is measured in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD %) and is in the order of less than % 20, less than % 15, less than % 10, less than % 5, or less than % 3. Therefore, the good content uniformity and the high dose reproducibility achieved by the process of the present invention guarantee the delivery of the active substance to the lungs in efficient amount necessary for the desired treatment of respiratory diseases upon each inhalation.

The dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention can be delivered by any suitable inhalation device that is adapted to administer a controlled amount of such a pharmaceutical formulation in dry powder form to a patient. Suitable inhalation devices may rely upon the aerosolisation energy of the patient's own breath to expel and disperse the dry powder dose. Alternatively, this energy may be provided by an energy source independent of the patient's inhalation effort, such as by impellers, patient/device created pressurized gas sources or physically (e. g. compressed gas) or chemically stored energy sources. Suitable inhalation devices can also be of the reservoir type i.e. where the dose is withdrawn from a storage vessel using a suitably designed dosing device or alternatively, inhalation devices that release active substance from pre-metered units e. g. blisters, cartridges or capsules. There are various types of dry powder inhalers, for example, reservoir dry powder inhalers, unit-dose dry powder inhalers, pre-metered multi-dose dry powder inhalers, nasal inhalers or insufflators. The dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention may be presented in unit dosage form, for example, be presented in capsules, cartridges, or blisters for use in an inhaler or insufflator.

The dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention is suitable for administration by oral and nasal inhalation.

Packaging of the dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention may be suitable for unit dose or multi-dose delivery. In one embodiment, the dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention suitable for inhaled administration may be incorporated into a plurality of sealed dose containers provided on medicament pack(s) (e.g. blister) mounted inside a suitable inhalation device. The containers may be rupturable, peelable or otherwise openable one-at-a-time and the doses of the dry powder composition administered by inhalation on a mouthpiece of the inhalation device, as known in the art. The medicament pack may take a number of different forms, for instance a disk-shape or an elongate strip. The dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention may also be provided as a bulk reservoir in an inhalation device, the device then being provided with a metering mechanism for metering a dose of the composition from the reservoir to an inhalation channel where the metered dose is able to be inhaled by a patient inhaling at a mouthpiece of the device.

A further delivery method for the dry powder formulation which is obtained by the process according to the present invention is for metered doses of the formulation to be provided in capsules (one dose per capsule) which are then loaded into an inhalation device, typically by the patient on demand. The device has means to rupture, pierce or otherwise open the capsule so that the dose is able to be entrained into the patient's lung when they inhale at the device mouthpiece.

If the dry powder formulation obtained by the process according to the invention is to be packed into capsules (inhalettes) in accordance with the preferred application mentioned above, the capsules are filled with the amount of from 3 to 30 mg, preferably from 5 to 25 mg, more preferably 10 to 25 mg of the dry powder formulation per capsule. On the other hand, if the dry powder formulation obtained by the process according to the invention is to be packed into blister strip (preferably elongate peelable blister strip) in accordance with the preferred application mentioned above, the blisters are filled with the amount of from 2 to 15 mg, preferably from 3 to 13 mg, more preferably 4 to 12.5 mg of the dry powder formulation per blister. In the case of the active substance being vilanterol, preferably vilanterol tnphenylacetate, the capsule or the blister contain between 1 μg and 100 μg, preferably between 2 μg and 75 μg, more preferably 5 μg and 50 μg of vilanterol as free base. Vilanterol or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof can be used in combination with one or more other therapeutically active substances as the active substance used in the process of the invention. The one or more other therapeutic substance is selected from a group comprising anti-inflammatory agents, anticholinergic agents (particularly a muscarinic (M^ M ₂ , or M ₃ ) receptor antagonist), other β ₂ - ad re no receptor agonists, antiinfective agents (e.g. antibiotics, antivirals), or antihistamines for the preparation of the dry powder formulation. In a further embodiment of the invention, a combination comprising vilanterol or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate or physiologically functional derivative thereof, preferably vilanterol tnphenylacetate, together with one or more other therapeutically active substance that is selected from a group comprising an anti-inflammatory agent (e.g. a corticosteroid or an NSAID), an anticholinergic agent, another β ₂ - ad re no receptor agonist, an antiinfective agent (e. g. an antibiotic or an antiviral), or an antihistamine is used in the process of the invention as the active substance. Preferred are combinations comprising vilanterol or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate or physiologically functional derivative thereof, preferably vilanterol triphenylacetate, together with a corticosteroid selected from a group comprising mometasone, fluticasone, budesonide; and/or an anticholinergic selected from a group comprising tiotropium, oxitropium, glycopyrronium, ipratropium, aclidinium; and/or a PDE-4 inhibitor selected from a group comprising roflumilast, rolipram, ibudilast, cilomilast.

The other therapeutic substance(s) may be used in the form of salts, (e. g. as alkali metal or amine salts or as acid addition salts), or pro drugs, or as esters (e. g. lower alkyl esters), or as solvates (e. g. hydrates). It will be clear also that where appropriate, the therapeutic substances may be used in optically pure form. The dry powder formulation prepared by the process of the present invention is used in the prophylaxis and treatment of clinical conditions for which a selective β ₂ - adrenoreceptor agonist is indicated. Such conditions include diseases associated with reversible airways obstruction such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) (e. g. chronic and wheezy bronchitis, emphysema), respiratory tract infection and upper respiratory tract disease (e.g. rhinitis, including seasonal and allergic rhinitis).

The following example serves only to illustrate the present invention further without restricting its scope to the embodiments provided hereinafter by way of example.

Example

The percentage amount range of each component (showed in the table) is calculated by weight based on the total amount of the dry powder formulation. For the preparation of formulation in the table given above, initially the components of the formulation are weighted to the amount falling within the range that is showed in the above table for each component. If it is necessary, any of the components of the formulation is micronized in a microniser (e.g. air-jet mill micronizer) to obtain said component with desired volume median diameter defined in the description before the mixing process. Then, the magnesium stearate is divided into two portions. The first portion of the magnesium stearate is mixed with the lactose monohydrate at least 5 minutes to obtain Premix-1 and second portion of the magnesium stearate is mixed with vilanterol triphenylacetate at least 5 minutes to obtain Premix-2. Then, Premix-1 and Premix-2 is are mixed at least 10 minutes to obtain the dry powder formulation. In the obtained dry powder formulation, the ratio of the amount of the first portion of the magnesium stearate mixed with the lactose monohydrate to the amount of the second portion of the magnesium stearate mixed with vilanterol triphenylacetate is 10:1 . Each of the mixing processes during the preparation of the dry powder formulation is performed using a high shear mixer or a low shear tumbling mixer, whichever is appropriate, with the rate of 2 to 250 rpm.