Deep lung inhaled therapies

There are two methods to deliver medication for lung diseases.  Drugs are administered either systemically or locally through inhalation therapy. Systemic drug delivery can be either intravenous, intramuscular injection or through the oral tract. All three routes require relatively high doses, since part of the medication is lost to metabolism or does not reach its specific target area. 

The medical paradigm is to prefer local drug administration over systemic delivery due to several reasons; 1) Potentially, the onset of the therapeutic action is quicker 2) Reduced dosage limits side effects and drug resistance 3) Local delivery may eliminate the need for hospitalization.

The Alphazer device delivers active compounds directly into the alveoli (deep lung), replacing high-dose systemic treatment with low-dose local treatment, and replacing hospital treatment with home treatment.  The compounds are approved medications with decades of safe usage behind them, repurposed for inhalation.  

Corolabs’ solutions meet clear clinical and market needs for non-invasive self-administration of drugs for the treatment of a variety of pulmonary diseases.

In addition, Corolabs offers a unique opportunity for life cycle management of existing drugs.  The new route of administration enables a new patent cycle for off-patent medications.

Need

Treatment of deep lung diseases requires effective delivery of the therapeutic compound into the alveoli.  To reach the alveoli, the size of inhaled aerosol droplets must be exceedingly small to pass through the narrowest airways. Due to this size barrier, the aerosol generated by existing technologies does not effectively reach the deep lung. Consequently, the standard of care treatment of deep lung diseases involves systemic therapies that deliver medication through the bloodstream. Moreover, high dosages are required to assure that an effective level of medication reaches the target area.

The medical and economic impacts of systemic delivery are significant. High doses systemic treatment of lung diseases is often associated with severe side effects, toxicity, patient intolerance and development of drug resistance.  Also, the treatment is often delivered in a hospital environment and is lengthy, costly and burdensome on the health system.