A Cambridge-based medical equipment manufacturer has announced plans to open Europe’s first dedicated testing lab for nasal spray devices.
Melbourn Scientific is creating a purpose-built centre to provide good manufacturing process (GMP) testing of device performance.
Commenting on the move, the company’s chief executive, Mark Hammond, said it came as the pharmaceutical industry was showing increased interest in using nasal sprays as a vehicle for drug delivery.
We predicted a few years ago that nasal delivery of compounds would increase as companies realised the benefits of this route
He added: “We predicted a few years ago that nasal delivery of compounds would increase as companies realised the benefits of this route. A nasal device offers a user-friendly, painless and non-invasive route for drug administration.
“We are now seeing evidence of continued growth and that clients recognise the advantages of working with partners that have expertise in this area of drug delivery and understand the formulation and analytical challenges it brings.”
The lab will test nasal device performance including droplet size and distribution as well as spray pattern and plume geometry analysis.
Hammond said: “The high surface area in the nasal cavity provides drugs with direct access to the systematic circulation, providing rapid onset of action. This route also avoids any degradation from first pass metabolism, which means lower doses can be given, reducing the possibility of unwanted side effects.”
Nasal sprays work by sending the drug to the lymphoid tissue at the back of the nose for rapid transport into the circulatory system. The olfactory region at the top of the nasal cavity is becoming of increasing interest for the treatment of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, as it allows for rapid absorption into the central nervous system. Nasal delivery is also being seen as a possible future replacement for needle vaccinations.
Currently the challenge of a nasal delivery device is to get the particle size right in order to ensure the drug is deposited within the nasal passages and not the lungs or gastro-intestinal tract. This is where a comprehensive testing regime, as we are providing, is beneficial
Hammond said: “Currently the challenge of a nasal delivery device is to get the particle size right in order to ensure the drug is deposited within the nasal passages and not the lungs or gastro-intestinal tract. This is where a comprehensive testing regime, as we are providing, is beneficial.”
Equipment in the new lab will include the Malvern Spraytec, designed to capture information about both pulsed spray and continuous spray events; the Morphologi G3, an optical imaging tool providing information about individual particles including size, shape and solidity; and the Proveris SprayVIEW, a spray pattern and plume geometry analysis tool.