Exhalation Delivery Systems

The innovative mechanism of action of the first Optinose technology is designed to enable broad, consistent drug delivery high and deep in the nasal passages, leveraging the mucosal surfaces as a potential target for the treatment of both local and systemic diseases. These Bi-Directional™ Exhalation Delivery Systems (EDS) offer a much-needed alternative to traditional nasal sprays, as well as nasal nebulizers, tablets, and injections.

Deposition with a tradition nasal spray  Deposition with an Exhalation Delivery System

Gamma camera images after using a traditional nasal spray device or the Optinose Exhalation Delivery System. Both images are from the same subject and are representative of the overall findings from 211 images and 56 subjects. The clinical relevance of different deposition patterns has not been established.

How an Exhalation Delivery System Works

An EDS uses Bi-Directional delivery:

  • The EDS has a flexible mouthpiece and a sealing nosepiece. The nosepiece is shaped to transfer pressure from the mouth, avoid obstruction by compression of soft tissue, and expand the upper part of the nasal valve
  • Exhalation through the EDS: 1) creates an airtight seal of the soft palate, isolating the nose from the mouth and lungs; 2) transfers proportional pressure into the nose; and 3) helps “float” medication around obstructions to deposit in high/deep sites in the nasal passages, such as the ostiomeatal complex (OMC)
  • The transferred pressure is proportional to varying exhalation force, counterbalancing pressure on the soft palate. This assures a patent communication behind the nasal septum, allowing air to escape through the opposite nostril. “Positive-pressure” expands passages narrowed by inflammation (versus negative pressure delivery, or “sniffing”)
  • Use is simple and quick. A patient inserts the nosepiece into one nostril and starts blowing through the mouthpiece. This elevates and seals the soft palate, as with inflating a balloon, separating the oral and nasal cavities. The patient completes use by pressing the bottle to actuate. This causes a coordination-reducing valve to release the exhaled breath concurrently with aerosol spray in a “burst” of naturally humidified air

Novel Products with Vast Commercial and Clinical Potential

Patient-friendly Exhalation Delivery Systems address the limitations of traditional nasal sprays, which have been limited primarily to treating nasal allergies. Optinose’s Exhalation Delivery Systems are also a highly versatile alternative to oral and injected delivery of medicines and vaccines. Suitable for both powder and liquid formulations, with proper use an EDS may:

  • Produce reliable dosing
  • Improve drug delivery to targeted disease area
  • Allow patients to self-medicate
  • Create potential for delivery into the brain, circumventing the blood-brain barrier