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Leveraging Old Drugs: A Critical Review of Delivery Systems and Lifecycle Management

Suman JD.

RDD Europe 2015. Volume 1, 2015: 109-120.

Abstract:

The nasal cavity represents a viable route of administration not only for locally acting drugs to treat allergic rhinitis and nasal polyps, but also as a pathway to systemic indications. Nasal sprays have recently been approved to treat pain using both narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics. Despite these advances, systemic indications represent only 15% of the global nasal spray market and present opportunities for repositioning or repurposing old drugs. Lifecycle management strategies for systemic nasal drug delivery apply to both small and large molecules. Successful systemic absorption requires that the target molecule exhibit the following properties: low molecular weight, lipophilicity, and low degree of ionization. If these conditions are not attainable, formulation approaches that include, but are not limited to, mucoadhesives, absorption enhancers, and prodrugs may be utilized to improve bioavailability. In addition, the delivery system must be able to deposit the drug in the posterior regions of the nasal cavity where absorption can occur.