Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in the US have successfully completed a Phase I study with atropine sulphate delivered from a MicroDose proprietary dry powder inhaler to combat the effects of nerve agent poisoning.
The open-label, active-controlled and crossover study involved 17 adult healthy subjects and demonstrated the pharmacokinetics of atropine dry powder inhalation.
Robert Cook, senior director of the MicroDose product commercialisation group, said that follow-up trials will further demonstrate the ability to achieve atropine bioavailability from the MicroDose inhaler.
“The inhaled route offers a non-invasive alternative by delivering atropine directly to the lungs where local complications are seen,” Cook said.
The results of the study will be presented at the 18th Congress of the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which takes place on 19-22 June.
