Sterically stabilized carrier for aerosol therapeutics, compositions and methods for treating the respiratory tract of a mammal

A method for treating a mammal with a selected drug effective for treatment of asthma and inflammation, wherein said selected drug is selected from the group consisting of:

• budesonide (BUD), triamcinolone (TRI), monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), apo1 lipoprotein A-1 mimetic (D-4F), serine lung protease inhibitor (SLPI) and combinations thereof, said method consisting essentially of
• a) treating the mammal with the selected drug by forming an aerosol of a composition consisting of a sterically stabilized liposome carrier encapsulating an effective amount of the selected drug effective for treatment of a mammal, the sterically stabilized liposome carrier consisting essentially of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, cholesterol, and poly (ethylene glycol) distearoylphosphatidyl diethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) the composition being of a particulate size up to about 0.2 to about 5.0 microns and effective to result in deposit of the selected drug in the airways down to the alveoli and alveolar tight junction and having a gel-liquid transition temperature from about −20° C. to about 44° C. and providing an effective life for the selected drug in a mammal equal to at least twice the life of a single dose of the selected drug or at least one week:
• and,
• b) allowing the mammal to inhale an effective amount of the aerosol at a selected time interval.