Freeman Technology, first-time exhibitor at this year's Drug Delivery to the Lungs conference, will demonstrate the FT4 powder rheometer at DDL19, which takes place in Edinburgh, 10-12 December.
The FT4 is an established universal powder tester that is being used increasingly in the study and development of inhaled products.
This year, for example, researchers in the Pharmaceutical Surface Science Group at the University of Bath in the UK published work in which the FT4 played an important role.
Their data highlighted a direct correlation between the flow properties of excipient powders, measured with the FT4 under aerating conditions, and the effectiveness of drug delivery of carrier-based dry powder inhaler formulations.
The FT4 is also contributing to work on dry powder inhaler materials at Monash University and elsewhere around the world.
Using the FT4, samples can be characterised under aerating/fluidising conditions, which has been important for many of these applications.
It also offers an integrated approach to powder characterisation, bringing together dynamic, shear and bulk property measurement in a single system.
The recent introduction of a 1ml shear cell has proved a valuable addition to the range of test modules, finding particular application in the pharmaceutical industry, where it enables the study of powder flowability characteristics at an early stage in formulation development.
