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For pharmaceutical companies, there are two current market forces receiving greater attention considering the pandemic that have the potential to create such a frisson where they collide: the increasing emphasis on biologic entities and the growing appreciation for the benefits of nasal drug delivery. Combining the two for the intranasal delivery of biologics, however, is a sweet spot that continues to evade many pharmaceutical firms thanks to a variety of challenges.
In this article, we discuss the reasons why both biologics and nasal delivery are continuing to attract attention. In particular, we look at the demand for prophylactic therapies to protect populations against the ongoing threat from SARS-CoV-2, and the benefits of targeting these therapies locally in the nasal cavity. We also consider the various formulation difficulties associated with these complex proteins and macromolecules, as well as the breadth of physiological barriers presented by nasal delivery. We then explore how formulation science and technology are enabling these challenges to be overcome, achieving maximum deposition and retention in the nasal cavity, and more promising outcomes for patients.
Finally, we argue the importance of pharma partners aligning their efforts with drug and device delivery partners early in the process to accelerate and de-risk development at every stage, from formulation through to clinical trial and regulatory submission, while also considering how data and connectivity can be employed to optimise the product lifecycle and sustain ever better patient outcomes.
