An aerosol inhalation spacer for use with a metered-dose inhaler canister is disclosed. The spacer includes a transparent chamber housing having a body with an input end and an output end and defining an interior space. A mouthpiece is connected to the output end of the chamber housing. An inhaler adapter is connected to the input end of the chamber housing. A valve member is disposed between the mouthpiece and the output end of the chamber housing, the valve member includes a one-way inhalation valve and a one-way exhalation valve. A flow indicator is connected to the inhaler adapter and extends into the interior space of the chamber housing for indicating an inhalation flow rate to the user.

An aerosol-generating system (includes a cartridge, a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and an aerosol-generating device. The cartridge includes a cartridge housing and a solid aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-generating device includes a cavity configured to receive at least a portion of the cartridge, an airflow inlet, and an airflow sensor. The airflow sensor is in fluid communication with the airflow inlet and the cavity). The aerosol-generating device includes a bypass air inlet in fluid communication with the cavity, an electric heater configured to heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a power supply, and a controller. The aerosol-generating system is configured so that the cartridge housing substantially prevents airflow through the bypass air inlet when the cartridge is received within the cavity.

A pulmonary drug delivery system is disclosed, including a breath-powered, dry powder inhaler, with or without a cartridge for delivering a dry powder formulation. The inhaler and cartridge can be provided with a drug delivery formulation comprising, for example, a diketopiperazine and an active ingredient, including, small organic molecules, peptides and proteins, including, hormones such as insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1 for the treatment of disease and disorders, for example, diseases and disorders, including endocrine disease such as diabetes and/or obesity.

Apparatus and methods are described for use with a portion of plant material that includes at least one active ingredient. A vaporizing unit includes a heating element configured to heat the plant material, and a sensor configured to detect an indication of airflow rate through the vaporizing unit. Control circuitry is configured to receive an indication of the airflow rate through the vaporizing unit, and, in response thereto, to determine a smoking profile that is desired by the user. The control circuitry drives the heating element to vaporize the active ingredient of the plant material by heating the plant material according to the determined smoking profile. The control circuitry dynamically updates the smoking profile in response to changes in airflow rate over the course of a smoking session. Other applications are also described.

An apparatus and method for providing a nebula or aerosol to a patient is described. In one aspect, the nebulizer is composed of a minimum number of parts to reduce complexity for automated or human assembly. The nebulizer may include an inhalation valve, exhalation valve and biasing member integrated into a single diaphragm structure that may be connected with an actuator and inserted into a housing for controlling nebulization of a medicine to a patient in response to the patient's breathing or in a continuous nebulization mode.

Disclosed herein is a simple method for generation of high-throughput aerosols of monodisperse micro-shell particles. To create the aerosol, small nozzles are employed blowing slightly compressed air on a thin liquid film. This allows one to generate bubble aerosols consisting of particles having a thin liquid shell surrounding a gas core, which are suspended in a carrier gas flow or environment. The diameter of the created liquid shells is uniform and scales with the inner diameter of the blowing nozzle, enabling control on the size of the produced monodispersed aerosol and formation of particles between few microns to several hundred of microns in outer diameter. The process throughput is very high, reaching several thousands of particles with liquid micro-shells per second for one blowing nozzle. The generated aerosol particles are extremely light-weight (few micrograms) and have very small wall thickness (couple of microns), which enables precise delivery of materials and rapid evaporation of solvent in their liquid walls. The process production rate is easily scalable. In terms of possible applications, liquid used for aerosol generation can be enriched with suspended or dissolved materials, for instance by a medical drug for direct delivery into a patient's airways, or by organic/inorganic solvent which solidifies during drying enabling formation of soft or rigid spherical shells out of particles with liquid shells. The blowing gas can have suspended micron/nano particles in it and these particles will be encapsulated by liquid walls of formed micro-shells, which can potentially solidify during their motion, and thus produced aerosols can be used as transport agents for material delivery. Formation of fine monodisperse liquid or solid foams is possible by collecting liquid micro-shells from the generated aerosol on a surface or in a vessel, while the liquid walls of particles of adhere to each other and then can solidify due to solvent evaporation, freezing or polymerization.

An inhaler (60) has a breath actuated trigger mechanism (100) reactive to an inhalation flow to trigger the release of a substance to be inhaled. The inhaler (60) has an inspiration flow which is subject to a higher degree of flow governing post-triggering than pre-triggering. This allows the triggering flow rate to be closer to, or even higher than, the governing flow rate of the inhaler.

A foam inhalation device (874) for dispensing a foam to be inhaled by a user. The inhalation device (874) comprises a foam-generating component for generating the foam, an outlet (882) for dispensing the foam to the user, and a fluid flow path which fluidly communicates the foam-generating component with the outlet (882). The foam is generatable by the foam-generating component and flows to the outlet (882) via the fluid flow path to be inhaled by the user.

An aerosol-generating system (includes a cartridge, a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and an aerosol-generating device. The cartridge includes a cartridge housing and a solid aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-generating device includes a cavity configured to receive at least a portion of the cartridge, an airflow inlet, and an airflow sensor. The airflow sensor is in fluid communication with the airflow inlet and the cavity). The aerosol-generating device includes a bypass air inlet in fluid communication with the cavity, an electric heater configured to heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a power supply, and a controller. The aerosol-generating system is configured so that the cartridge housing substantially prevents airflow through the bypass air inlet when the cartridge is received within the cavity.

A respiratory device comprising a housing enclosing a chamber and an orientation indicator moveable with respect to the housing between a first position indicative of an orientation of the housing predetermined to be suitable for operation of the respiratory device, and a second position indicative of an orientation of the respiratory device predetermined to be less suitable for operation of the respiratory device. The orientation indicator is positioned in a location on the respiratory device visible to a user during the operation of the respiratory device.