Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Models to Aid the Development of Generic Inhalation Products (U01) Clinical Trials Optional

Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration product-specific guidances for orally inhaled drug products such as metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and dry powder inhalers (DPIs) typically recommend using a weight-of-evidence approach for demonstrating bioequivalence (BE) that includes in vitro studies, an in vivo pharmacokinetics study, and either an in vivo pharmacodynamics or comparative clinical endpoint BE study. To produce a generic MDI or DPI that can meet acceptance criteria from all these recommended studies, it would be useful to have an enhanced understanding of the relationships between in vitro study metrics and the rate and extent of drug delivery to the targeted lung tissue. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a technique capable of predicting these relationships between in vitro study metrics and regional lung deposition. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to use CFD to produce verified and validated predictions of regional lung deposition for at least one currently marketed MDI or DPI in human upper and lower airways and to develop an in vitro-in vivo correlation (IVIVC) between model predictions and at least one relevant in vitro metric. Generic drug developers may then use this IVIVC to interpret in vitro results in a manner that may increase confidence in their products prior to in vivo testing