In cystic fibrosis inhalation of drugs for the treatment of CF related lung disease has been proven to be highly effective. Consequently, an increasing number of drugs and devices have been developed for CF lung disease or are currently under development. In this European consensus document we review the current status of inhaled medication in CF, including the mechanisms of action of the various drugs, their modes of administration and indications, their effects on lung function, exacerbation rates, survival and quality of life, as well as side effects. Specifically we address antibiotics, mucolytics/mucous mobilizers, anti-inflammatory drugs, bronchodilators and combinations of solutions. Additionally, we review the current knowledge on devices for inhalation therapy with regard to optimal particle sizes and characteristics of wet nebulisers, dry powder and metered dose inhalers. Finally, we address the subject of testing new devices before market introduction.

The efficacy and toxicity of aminoglycosides show a strong direct positive relationship with blood drug concentrations, therefore, therapy with aminoglycosides in adults is usually guided by therapeutic drug monitoring. Dosing regimens in adults have evolved from multiple daily dosing to extended-interval dosing. This evolution has also taken place in neonates. Neonates, however, display large interindividual differences in the pharmacokinetics of aminoglycosides due to developmental differences early in life. The volume of distribution of aminoglycosides shows a strong relationship with bodyweight, which tends to be larger (corrected for bodyweight) in more premature infants and those with sepsis. Renal clearance of aminoglycosides increases with gestational age and accelerates immediately after birth. Because of these developmental influences, there is great inter- and intraindividual variability in the volume of distribution and clearance of these drugs, and investigators have established aminoglycoside dosing regimens based on bodyweight and/or gestational age. Widely practised dosing regimens comprise 4-5 mg/kg bodyweight of gentamicin every 24-48 hours as a first dose, followed by dose adjustment based on therapeutic drug monitoring. Although formal toxicity studies are scarce, there is no evidence that aminoglycoside toxicity in neonates differs from that in adults. Monitoring of blood drug concentrations and intelligent reconstruction of individual pharmacokinetic behaviour using a population pharmacokinetic model, optimally chosen blood sampling times and appropriate pharmacokinetic software, help clinicians to quickly optimize aminoglycoside dosing regimens to maximize the clinical effect and minimize the toxicity of these drugs.

The colistin DPI (Twincer inhaler) is well tolerated and appreciated by CF-patients. Optimisation with respect to particle size and internal resistance of the inhaler is necessary to attain equivalent pulmonary deposition to liquid nebulisation.

Background: Pulmonary administration of colistin is one of the antimicrobial treatments used in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Dry powder inhalation of colistin may be an attractive alternative to nebulization of colistin. However, nebulized colistin can cause bronchoconstriction in CF patients. Therefore, in the progress of developing a dry powder formula, the choice of the inhaler and its contents should be guided by optimal efficacy and the least possible side effects. To investigate the side effects, a study was initiated to compare the tolerability of colistin sulphate to colistin sulphomethate per nebulization in CF-patients. Methods: Nine CF-patients chronically infected with P. aeruginosa participated in a double blind, randomized cross over study. On two visits to the outpatient clinic, patients were submitted to either nebulized colistin sulphate or colistin sulphomethate solution. Lung function tests were performed immediately before and 15 and 30 min after nebulization. Results: Nebulization of colistin sulphate caused a significant larger mean decrease in lung function compared to nebulized colistin sulphomethate. A significant decrease in mean changes (SD) in FEV1 at 30 min and FVC at 15 and 30 min after nebulization compared to baseline of y7.3% (8.6%), y5.7% (7.3%) and y8.4% (7.5%) respectively was seen after colistin sulphate nebulization compared to colistin sulphomethate (P-0.05). Seven patients were not able to complete the nebulization of colistin sulphate because of throat irritation and severe cough. Conclusion: Based on these results it was concluded that inhalation with nebulized colistin sulphate is not suitable for treatment of CF patients chronically infected with P. aeruginosa. Colistin sulphomethate is the drug of choice for pulmonary administration of colistin.

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Many risk factors have been identified as being responsible for the process of atherogenesis. Several of these risk factors are related to inflammation, which is an obligatory feature of the atherosclerotic plaque. Increasing evidence suggests that postprandial lipoproteins and glucose may be involved in the inflammatory process preceding the development of atherosclerosis. During the postprandial situation, remnants of chylomicrons and very low-density lipoproteins bind to circulating leukocytes and endothelial cells, leading to a state of acute activation with the expression of integrins on different cells, the generation of oxidative stress, production of cytokines and complement activation. Elevated plasma glucose levels may also induce leukocyte activation in humans. In addition, advanced glycation end products, formed during hyperglycemia, cause inflammation and endothelial damage. This chain of events results in a situation of acute inflammation causing endothelial dysfunction, which may be one of the earliest defects in atherogenesis. Interestingly, while this may occur several times each day after each meal, there is only limited information on the contribution of different nutrients on the postprandial inflammatory processes. In this review, we will focus on the available evidence and we will discuss the role of lifestyle and pharmaceutical interventions in modulating postprandial inflammation.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors cause an increase in acetylation that leads to an increase in DNA transcription and accumulation of different proteins, reducing cell proliferation and inducing cell death. Panobinostat is a first-in-line HDAC inhibitor approved for treating multiple myeloma in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone. It is a pan-deacetylase inhibitor and therefore inhibits not only HDAC but also other deacetylases. The main mechanism of action of panobinostat is to inhibit HDAC, which causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, leading to it being an antineoplastic drug. Pooled data of multiple-dose studies show that an oral dose of panobinostat 20 mg resulted in a maximum plasma concentration (C ) of 21.6 ng/mL approximately 1 h after administration, while doses between 10 and 30 mg resulted in dose proportional plasma levels. The absolute bioavailability of panobinostat is 21.4%, and it is moderately bound to plasma proteins. Renal impairment does not influence the intrinsic pharmacokinetics of panobinostat, however hepatic impairment causes an increase in the plasma concentrations of this drug. Therefore, starting treatment at lower doses could be considered in patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment. Different ethnic backgrounds have an influence on the pharmacokinetics of panobinostat; however, due to major interindividual variability, no dose adjustment is recommended. The area under the concentration-time curve of panobinostat changes significantly under cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 inhibitors, CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 inducers, and P-glycoprotein inhibitors. Panobinostat itself is a CYP2D6 inhibitor, which influences the plasma levels of the CYP2D6 substrate dexamethasone. The main side effects of panobinostat are diarrhea, peripheral neuropathy, asthenia and fatigue; hematologic side effects include neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and lymphocytopenia.

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