Breathing new life into inhaled medicines

Taking an inhaled medication can be as easy as taking a breath. This simple and painless drug-delivery method has always been a preferred option for respiratory drugs. The inhaled medicine market is booming. There are more than 100 pharmaceutical compounds in development for the treatment of respiratory ailments, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It is also quickly becoming the method of choice for a variety of more diverse and systemic therapies as an alternative to needle injections or other invasive applications, which are less desirable to patients—such as for Parkinson’s disease, seizures, diabetes and analgesics.

We are responding to your growing need with an estimated $10 million investment that expands your inhalation toxicology study options at our Huntingdon, U.K. site.

While taking an inhaled drug can be easy, developing one is an incredibly complex and challenging undertaking. The science behind developing an oral or dermal treatment is comparatively more established and easier to execute. Aerosolization, however, is a difficult scientific process that requires a cutting-edge lab space implemented by highly skilled specialists to ensure success. “The principal premise of an inhaled drug is to aerosolize it effectively, consistently and reproducibly,” says Simon Moore, Global Lead of Inhalation Sciences and Engineering. “Bringing together the deep scientific knowledge, specialized technology and the whole infrastructure was essential to ensuring you get an innovative and cohesive experience in a very complex development space.”

The trend toward inhaled medicines drove the necessity for a dedicated workspace and staff and was the impetus of the expansion of our Huntingdon, U.K. site. This state-of-the-art facility now staffs a team of 40 inhalation experts and features a modular buildout of six new, dedicated inhalation testing rooms. What’s the benefit of a modular buildout? “A concrete building would have required 12 to 18 months to construct. The commission of the innovative modular building enabled us to be up and fully functional in less than nine months. It was the right decision to help you bring more life-saving breakthroughs to patients quicker,” explains Moore.

In addition to an expedited rollout, the expanded lab space ensures we have additional capacity and flexibility to schedule an increased number of your inhalation safety studies. You can also find full-service support from early efficacy through regulation compliance. “Because of the greater infrastructure, our ability to support your programs has increased considerably. As of mid-2021, we’ve already delivered in six months what we typically do in a full year,” illustrates Moore.

With increased inhalation capacity and capability, you can also explore the use of inhaled medicines as a secondary indication, which is currently a popular trend in the inhalation market. This method enables you to utilize a drug that’s been previously developed for a non-inhaled application—most commonly oral or dermal—and repurpose it to an inhaled form in order to capitalize on new opportunities for respiratory ailments. For example, you can repurpose a fungal dermal medication into an inhaled drug to treat respiratory lung infections. 

Developing an inhaled medicine is a highly intricate undertaking. With this investment in expanded inhalation capabilities, you can now get a cutting-edge and a comprehensive development process to more easily ensure your product’s success.