How MEGGLE Excipients could make a valuable contribution in the fight against the pandemic

SARS-CoV-2, a RNA-virus within the Corona family, has affected mankind all over the world and was therefore declared as pandemic (COVID 19). Since first appearance of this infection, global science and technology has reacted incredibly diverse and fast to stop, or at least slow down its spread. For the moment, classical vaccination strategies seem to be promising, however they might be challenged by the ability of the virus to mutate. In parallel, it is difficult to state long term safety of vaccines, and insufficient immune response of mainly senior populations draws the attention to local therapies: Respiratory system and in particular the nasopharyngeal zone were identified as entry and reservoir zone for SARS-CoV-2 and hence seem to be an highly appropriate target to intervene in the course of the disease (1).

Particle deposition has been applied very successfully for the delivery of anti-inflammatory and ß-sympathomimetic drugs in the fields of chronic lung diseases since more than two decades (2).

But it also can offer advantages over commonly applied aqueous spray pumps or dropping devices within an intranasal application, where significant amounts of an active principle are deposited in the anterior, less metabolically active region of the nasal cavity (3, 4). The application of dry powder formulations could e.g. allow antibiotics, immune modulators, or virostatics to reach more interior areas beyond the nasal valve and so leading to increased residence times, consecutively preventing the virus from its deadly seeding into the lungs by aspiration. In addition, solid state formulation systems are generally preferred from a chemical and microbiological stability point of view.

MEGGLE has a long tradition and broad subject expertise in the fields of drug delivery into the respiratory tract and can offer a wide range of approved solid carriers for nasal and pulmonary applications (InhaLac – product family).

Meggle’s InhaLac® family:

MEGGLE has it. – The right lactose product for dry powder inhalation

InhaLac® stands for a lactose, which is, in particular, suitable for use in pulmonary and nasal drug delivery.

Inhalation aerosols offer the potential for needle-free systemic delivery of small molecule drugs as well as therapeutic peptides and proteins. An industry standard in dry powder inhalation formulation development, lactose monohydrate is used safely in DPI formulations. Using lactose as an excipient not only improves performance efficiency of the inhaler, but also facilitates powder handling during production. Effective performance of a dry powder inhaler largely depends on the carrier material used for the drug formulation.

Lactose: Carrier of API

Customization has been seen for MEGGLE products, traditionally used for the oral route of administration but is especially important when it comes to the inhalation route of administration, in particular dry powder inhaler (DPI), where lactose plays a predominant role as carrier for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facilitating its delivery to the lower part of lung.

Our Service: Customized lactose for DPI

As DPI development is an interplay between inhalation device, API-properties and lactose carrier, a customized lactose which is tailored in particle size distribution, and surface property, may provide a competitive advantage, when the DPI-drug-development can be achieved in time and on target. Especially increasing the API’s fine particle fraction (FPF) through profound lactose carrier design and subsequently suffering less API loss can be a major improvement and marks successful drug commercialization.

MEGGLE has been active in this field for decades, and therefore has gained a tremendous amount of expertise, which the customer immediately benefits from. It is more than fair to say, that MEGGLE enabled successful products through its customized products for originators and generic companies alike.

Important: Highly controlled production process

In Dry Powder Inhalation (DPI) formulations, the excipient not only acts as a filler but also contributes to the performance features of the DPI. An extensive knowledge of the physico-chemical properties is a prerequisite to guarantee the functionality and safety of the DPI. This includes an established and well-investigated production process. All InhaLac® grades are produced via crystallization and subsequent sieving or milling. The optimized and standardized production process consistently ensures the highest production quality.

With our highly controlled production process different high quality grades for inhalation are obtained, providing an adequate range of particle.

MEGGLE´s lactose grades suitable for DPI are available under the trade names

InhaLac® 70, InhaLac® 120, InhaLac® 140, InhaLac® 150, InhaLac® 160, InhaLac® 230, InhaLac® 251, InhaLac® 400 and InhaLac® 500.

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Sources: Meggle 1, Meggle 2.