The Invention of the Asthma Inhaler

Since its invention, the asthma inhaler has improved the lives of millions of asthma sufferers. The pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) by 3M has been around since 1956 and according to 3M remains the most commonly prescribed device worldwide for inhaled asthma medication.

Beginnings of the Asthma Inhaler

• 3M says the initial concept for the inhaler came from a 13-year-old. When the daughter of Riker Laboratories' president asked why her asthma medicine couldn't be sprayed like her hairspray, the idea for the metered dose inhaler was born.

Function

• The pMDI delivers asthma medication in precise doses. The medication enters the patients' lungs via inhalation.

Developments

• A faster-acting metered dose inhaler was introduced in 1957, allowing for quicker relief from asthma by relaxing the muscles and opening airways. Called a bronchodilator, this MDI works with short bursts of aerosolized medication that the asthma sufferer inhales through the device.

Widespread Use

• Since its inception, the bronchodilator MDI has sold by the hundreds of millions each year in at least 15 countries. Professional athletes with asthma sometimes use the device before and after a sport to avoid attacks. They are best used for short-term relief.

Evolution

• The latest developments to the asthma inhaler include a switch from the CFC compound to halo carbons to deliver the aerosolized medication. This has made for potentially more potent medicine in an environmentally friendlier package.