Closed-Circuit Nebulizer Technology to Help Deliver Potential COVID-19 Inhaled Therapies

A closed-circuit nebulizer technology, which is being used in hospitals to deliver aerosolized medication to critically-ill ventilated COVID-19 patients, will help ensure safe delivery of inhaled antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

Aerogen (Galway, Ireland), which has developed the closed-circuit nebulizer technology, is collaborating with pharmaceutical companies in multiple COVID-19 drug development initiatives, including the development of new inhaled drugs that will ultimately play in the COVID-19 response. Aerogen is working with pharmaceutical companies worldwide to ensure safe delivery of inhaled therapies for COVID-19. Several of these collaborations are already in clinical trials, with others on track to enter studies on moderately and severely ill COVID-19 patients over the weeks and months ahead.

In one such collaboration, Aerogen has entered into an agreement with Synairgen plc (Southampton, UK) to provide the Aerogen Solo/Ultra nebulizer system for the delivery of SNG001 directly into the lungs of COVID-19 patients. SNG001 is an inhaled interferon beta that stimulates the innate immune system. Initial investigation of SNG001 as a potential COVID-19 treatment has been promising - hospitalized patients receiving SNG001 were at reduced risk of developing severe disease and more than twice as likely to recover to the ‘no limitation of activities’ level on the ordinal scale over the course of treatment.

The Aerogen Solo is a closed-system, single patient use (vibrating mesh) aerosol drug delivery technology offering superior performance across all hospital ventilation modalities. Designed for the safety of both the patient and the caregiver, Aerogen’s closed-circuit design enables the only global aerosol drug delivery system which mitigates the transmission of patient-generated infectious aerosol during ventilation.

“Aerogen is a highly regarded global company known for providing safe and effective aerosol drug delivery,” said Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen. “Ensuring that SGN001 is paired with optimal delivery technology is a vital component of our work to bring this potential treatment to market at scale. Aerogen is our choice because of its proven reputation for drug delivery efficiency and reliability, suitability for use with a wide range of ventilatory support modalities, established high-volume manufacturing and prior regulatory approvals across the globe.”

“In the early days of the pandemic, hospitals were discouraged from using any type of aerosol for COVID-19 treatment – which is understandable given the nature of the virus,” said John Power, CEO and Founder of Aerogen. “Now, it’s clear to health systems worldwide that aerosol drug delivery can be done with improved safety but is an absolute necessity for managing this global crisis. COVID-19 has only reinforced the important role Aerogen plays in safely and effectively delivering treatments to patients across the world, and we’re proud to work with innovators like Synairgen as part of the research and development process for potential COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.”

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