Improving Intranasal Sprays for Respiratory Viral Infections

Intranasal sprays have considerable potential for the treatment of viral infections such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus which enter via the upper airway.

This paper describes work to improve the targeting of drug delivery for such infections by modifying intranasal spray usage protocols. Computational fluid dynamic studies and experimental validation work show that with an improved protocol, involving more shallowed (almost horizontal) angling of the intranasal spray, drug delivery to the nasopharyngeal viral infection ‘hot spot’ can be doubled. The optimal droplet size for drug delivery for such applications is discussed, and the robustness of the developed protocol is highlighted, with respect to the consistency of drug delivery.