Scientists are developing gadgets to vaporize drugs used to treat common conditions because they work faster than pills

Inventors say vaporizer drugs work faster than pills and could be the future of prescription drugs.

Scientists are developing devices that can vaporize drugs used to treat common ailments.

Inventors say medicated vaporizers work faster than pills and could be the future of prescription drugsSource: Getty

They believe that painkillers, antidepressants and migraine medications, as well as medications for lung diseases such as asthma and COPD, can be administered by inhalation.

This will help medications start working faster and patients can stick to their doses by electronically limiting them to just a few puffs per day.

Dr Federico Buonocore, of Kingston University in south-west London, said: “This technology shows great promise.

“The devices will fit in your pocket and will be easy to use, with no training required.

“This would help patients adhere to treatment recommendations, which would help us reduce hospital admissions and save the NHS money.”

Dr. Buonocore published a study last year that showed e-cigarette technology could interact with the asthma drug salbutamol.

US manufacturer Qnovia hopes its RespiRx nicotine replacement device will be approved for sale on prescription in the UK in 2026, helping smokers quit.

Chief Executive Brian Quigley said: “One of the biggest benefits is the speed at which the drug is delivered into the bloodstream.

“Injections are used most quickly, then inhalation, before tablets or skin patches.

“This can work in areas where you need immediate relief.”

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Highest e-cigarette rate

THE percentage of Britons who smoke e-cigarettes has reached an all-time high, figures show.

One in nine people — almost twice as many as three years ago — use e-cigarettes.

An estimated 5.6 million people, the highest number on record, are e-cigarette smokers.

Most of them are former tobacco smokers, many use them to quit smoking. However, they tend to use e-cigarettes longer.

According to research by Action on Smoking and Health, more than half of them have been doing so for at least three years.

Ash welcomed the move away from tobacco but still wants tougher regulations to stop children taking up e-cigarettes because they are “not without risks”.