the highly potent immunosuppressive glucocorticoid 17 bmp is the basis for the idea that inflammatory and fibroinflammatory diseases of the lungs particularly the diseases that involve the interstitium of the lung might be effectively and safely treated by oral delivery of the glucocorticoid pro drug bdp while inhaled bdp is effective in treating reactive airway diseases that have an inflammatory basis for example asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with chronic bronchitis inhaled formulations of bdp deliver relatively little 17 bmp to the interstitial space as much of the inhaled drug reaches the bronchi smaller airways and alveoli prednisone therapy is effective in treatment of reactive airway disease and some types of ild but is limited by systemic toxicity topically active inhaled bdp was developed to allow delivery of glucocorticoid to the lung so that the systemic toxicity of prednisone could be avoided if a person with a pulmonary disorder were given bdp via inhalation the total daily dose of bdp would be a maximum of 400 micro grams 0 4 mg while there is metabolism of bdp to 17 bmp in the lungs the maximum daily amount of 17 bmp that reaches the lungs would be limited to 0 4 mg in contrast if a daily dose of 8 mg oral bdp were given and if 20 40 of that dose was delivered to the pulmonary artery as 17 bmp the total daily dose of 17 bmp delivered to the lungs.