An aerosolization apparatus comprises a housing defining a chamber having one or more air inlets. The chamber is sized to receive a capsule which contains an aerosolizable pharmaceutical formulation. A puncturing mechanism is provided within the housing and comprising a puncture member. The puncture member comprises a forward end shaped to form a cutting edge that is effective in cutting the wall of the capsule to create an opening into the capsule. The puncture member also comprises a trailing end shaped so that it has a non-cutting surface that does not cut the wall of the capsule when the trailing end is inserted into the opening created by the forward end. An end section is associated with the housing. The end section is sized and shaped to be received in a users mouth or nose so that the user may inhale through the end section to inhale aerosolized pharmaceutical formulation that has exited the capsule through the opening created in the capsule.
