TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative drug products based on its patented Thin Film Freezing technology platform, announced a collaboration with Aptar Pharma, a global leader in drug delivery and active material science solutions and services, aimed at developing and testing the administration of dry powder vaccines utilizing TFF Pharmaceutical’s Thin Film Freezing technology and Aptar Pharma’s proprietary intranasal Unidose (UDS) Powder Nasal Spray System.
A need for alternative routes of vaccination, such as intranasal, were highlighted at the White House Summit on the Future of COVID-19 Vaccines, which took place in July 2022. The development of an effective intranasal vaccine has numerous potential advantages over conventional, subcutaneous or intramuscular-based delivery. First, the nasal passageway is very often the first point of entry for respiratory pathogens, and if the pathogen can be halted in the nasal passages, the spread of infection is likely to be significantly curtailed, leading to an improved prognosis.
In addition, the direct immunization of nasal mucosa may promote both systemic and mucosal immunity. Mucosal immunity may be a key to preventing viral shedding and disease transmission.
Also Read: Aqara Showcases Enhanced Device Interoperability with SmartThings, Reinforcing
Furthermore, self-administration of a “needle-free” vaccine provides for pain-free administration to the patient, results in less medical waste by avoiding syringe disposal, eliminates extreme cold storage requirement from the supply chain and simplifies global distribution. These aspects of nasal delivery could expand vaccine availability to larger populations in regions and countries with limited refrigeration infrastructure.
“We are very excited to partner with Aptar Pharma to test our Thin Film Freezing formulation with their unique intranasal device,” said Glenn Mattes, President & CEO of TFF Pharmaceuticals. “By combining our collective and proprietary expertise in drug development, device engineering and formulation technologies, we believe this collaboration has the potential to create ground-breaking advancements in the field of drug delivery. Intranasal dry powder vaccines could be a true game changer for people around the world.”