Accelerating the development of COVID vaccines and therapeutics

There are several key strategic decisions to be made in the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, including where to target drug delivery, the appropriate formulation, the correct drug delivery system and the best regulatory pathway. This webinar discusses these challenges from the perspective of nasal and respiratory drug delivery. As SARS-CoV-2 gains a foothold in the body via the ACE2 receptors located in the nose, nasopharynx and lungs, vaccine delivery to the respiratory tract could be highly advantageous. The pathophysiologic rationale of drug delivery targets in the upper and lower airways are considered and key attributes for classes of therapeutic compounds differentiated. This information provides a foundation for the selection of an appropriate drug delivery platform and to drive formulation development. A key goal is to highlight a pathway to rapidly develop a formulation and drug delivery system combination that allows clinical trials to start quickly. The acceleration of lead selection to mitigate risk, using novel in vitro deposition studies and regional deposition modeling, is discussed.