Erythrocyte‐mediated delivery of dexamethasone in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Human erythrocytes from ten patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were loaded with increasing amounts of dexamethasone 21‐phosphate and were re‐infused into the original donors. Drug‐loaded erythrocytes acted as circulating bioreactors, converting the non‐diffusible dexamethasone 21‐phosphate into the diffusible dexamethasone. Pharmacokinetic analyses on these patients showed that a single administration of drug‐loaded erythrocytes was able to maintain detectable dexamethasone concentrations in blood for up to seven days. This continuous release of dexamethasone was paralleled by the suspension of β2‐agonist and oral corticosteroid treatments by all of the patients. Thus dexamethasone 21‐phosphate‐loaded erythrocytes are safe carriers for corticosteroid analogues and are a useful alternative to frequent oral or inhaled drugs in elderly patients with COPD.