Snappy solution to drug delivery

A low-cost, hand-held, snap-action device makes clever use of a vortex to deliver drugs to the upper nasal passages. This allows drugs that have to be delivered directly to the bloodstream to be administered without needles and without loss of material - as well as potentially making life much easier for vets. The new drug delivery system is the invention of pharmacist Ian Harrison, now chief science officer of Alchemy Healthcare, the Oxford company set up to exploit the technology. Many drugs are ineffective, when taken orally, as they are broken down by the human or animal digestive system. Harrison’s breakthrough solution is a small, hand-held device, cheap enough to be disposable, which, on squeezing, releases powder from a pressurised cartridge in a puff of air that is formed into a vortex. This ensures the powder is delivered within a very narrow cone, with the powder normally consisting of the drug, plus a lactose-based carrier. More details appear in the next issue of Eureka.