University USA
Drug resistant strains and infection of compromised patients has resulted in an increase in respiratory infectious diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), meningococcal meningitis, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and small pox. Currently drugs and vaccines for the treatment or prevention respiratory infectious diseases are delivered to patients orally or by needle injections, a process that has been proven costly and ineffective. For example, drugs given by injection are painful and have toxic side effects, while pills, although easier to take, can cause liver and stomach problems including nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting because the drugs reach non-infected regions such as the kidney and liver. As such, a less painful and simpler method for delivering drugs and vaccines is needed so as to limit the resistance and spread of the diseases.
Invention: Novel method and formulation of drugs to treat and reduce the spread of respiratory infections, especially chronic or drug resistant infections, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), meningococcal meningitis, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and small pox.. The novel formulation is a drug or vaccine in the form of microparticle or nanoparticles, while the novel method is the use of the particles to deliver the formulation directly to the lungs by inhalation. The particles are aerodynamically light, having a preferred size (e.g., a volume median geometric diameter) of 5 microns and coated with proteins and surfactants.
Applications
Advantages: Giving the drugs via an inhaler sidesteps the problems associated with oral or injectable drugs by bypassing the stomach and liver, and delivering the medication directly into the lungs. The particle formulation has excellent aerodynamic properties, drug loading and stability and avoids phagocytic engulfment by alveolar macrophages and clearance from the lungs, due to size exclusion of the particles from the phagocytes cytosolic space.
Applications: The novel formulations are well-suited to treatment of respiratory diseases such as SARS, meningococcal meningitis, RSV, influenza, and small pox or any chronic or long term infection, or drug resistant infection. A patient can be treated with formulations delivering both antibiotic and vaccine. The formulations can be in the form of a powder for inhalation, or dispersed in a solution or encapsulated for delivery via a route other than pulmonary, such as nasal, buccal, oral, or injection. The types of agents to be delivered include therapeutic, prophylactic and/or diagnostic agents--for example antibiotic, vaccine in the form of synthetic inorganic and organic compounds, proteins, peptides, polypeptides, or DNA and RNA nucleic acid sequences.
