Epinephrine pens are lifesavers for millions of Americans at risk for anaphylaxis from food allergies or bee stings.
But the needle can be a hurdle for some patients and caregivers in charge of administering it.
A new option may soon be available – an epinephrine nasal powder spray.
Results of the first human trials were released at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.
“We did a study in healthy volunteers to study the absorption of the nasal powders. And we did find that we got absorption comparable to EpiPen. And also, we got, pharmacodynamic effects that you would expect on blood pressure and heart rate. So, it seems to be feasible to use this for treatment of anaphylaxis.”
Lead author Martin Jönsson says a longer shelf life may be another benefit of the nasal powder spray developed by OrexoAB.
“We compared it to EpiPen, and we used an accelerated condition….104°F. So quite warm. And we stored it for 12 months. And we did see almost no degradation of our powders, but over 30% degradation of EpiPen.”
Jönsson says most participants experienced mild nasal discomfort, as well as side effects similar to the EpiPen, such as increases in heart rate and blood pressure.
The next step will be to verify these results in people with ongoing allergic symptoms, which can impact nasal mucosa.
