Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/932381
Inhalation February 2018 5 nary delivery and a formulator in selection of manufacturing pro- cesses for inhalation drug product development. Also, an iBCS would contribute to an understanding of bioequivalence between products during development and commer- cialization. Developing a classifica- tion system for inhaled drugs could lead to a better understand- ing of the key in vitro attributes impacting product in vivo bioper- formance by "class" of drug (or drug product). is approach could therefore lead to streamlined drug development and regulatory relief as achieved for immediate re- lease oral products and could ulti- mately improve product quality control and understanding of in vivo product performance. Development of an iBCS needs to be scientifically driven and must be based on an understanding of the product deposition attributes, the physicochemical properties of the drug, and the physiology of the lung; all of which depend upon the development of standardized biorelevant in vitro test methods for inhaled drugs. erefore, the development of such a system needs support from the inhalation community. A project proposal to develop a classification system for inhaled drug products was recently accepted by the Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) and will be up and running in 2018. Encouraging student participation In order to increase student in- volvement with the INTFG as well as provide content on emerging re- search topics, the INTFG has also planned webinars to be presented by graduate students. e first of these will be given by a past student member of the focus group's executive committee, Mandana Azimi, and will focus on her PhD research related to clinically rele- vant in vitro tests for nasally admin- istered drug products. Shifting from focus groups to communities AAPS has made a strategic decision to develop "communities," which are expected to replace the current structure of AAPS focus groups, such as the INTFG. More infor- mation is available on the AAPS website regarding these changes (www.aaps.org). Despite this pending transition, please look for the INTFG to continue to be involved in up- coming meetings from RDD to ISAM to AAPS. In addition, if you see an opportunity for the INTFG to work with you or your team on a project or scientific need, please contact Dr. Hugh Smyth, INTFG Chair (hugh. smyth@austin.utexas.edu).