Intranasal Vaccines: Protecting Public Safety

Novel advances in intranasal delivery technologies are broadening the nasal route as a viable solution for systemic delivery of a wide range of drugs, biologics and vaccines.1 Nasal delivery offers compelling advantages including bypass of hepatic first-pass metabolism, reduced nausea, reduced toxicity and rapid onset. In addition, non-invasive nasal delivery systems eliminate the risk of inadvertent needle sticks and the disposal of biohazardous “sharps,” a safety concern of vaccines administered with a syringe. Precision, metered dose, intranasal delivery systems, introduced by device manufacturers such as Mystic Pharmaceuticals, Aptar Group and Optinose, provide the capability for individuals to safely self-administer. This capability to self-administer reduces dependency on trained healthcare personnel, a critical consideration for rapid deployment of therapeutics or vaccines to large populations in crisis situations such as a pandemic or bio-terror event.