Methods and apparatus are provided for making particles comprising: (a) spraying an
emulsion, solution, or suspension, which comprises a
solvent and a bulk material (e.g., a pharmaceutical agent), through an atomizer and into a primary
drying chamber, having a
drying gas flowing therethrough, to form droplets comprising the
solvent and bulk material dispersed in the
drying gas; (b) evaporating, in the primary drying chamber, at least a portion of the
solvent into the drying gas to solidify the droplets and form particles dispersed in drying gas; and (c) flowing the particles and at least a portion of the drying gas through a
jet mill to deagglomerate or
grind the particles. By
coupling spray drying with “in-line” jet milling, a
single step process is created from two separate unit operations, and an additional collection step is advantageously eliminated. The one-step, in-line process has further advantages in time and cost of
processing.