Next Safety, a West Jefferson, NC, company that makes respirators, is now using its technology to develop pulmonary drug delivery and nicotine replacement devices.
The technology uses a stream of purified air to deliver medications deep into the pulmonary system. Next Safety says the mechanism is superior to other drug delivery systems because it rapidly administers aerosolized drugs to the lining of the lungs. The company believes the technique has applications across many therapeutic areas, including asthma and nicotine replacement — preliminary findings indicate that the device delivers nicotine more efficiently than cigarettes, but without the negative effects of smoke.
“We’ve taken a fresh approach to pulmonary drug delivery,” said Lyndell Duvall, Next Safety’s director of technology and product development, in a statement. “By obeying mother nature, and borrowing techniques and materials from the semiconductor industry, we are able to individually generate each droplet in an aerosol and dictate how it will behave before it is delivered to the patient.”
Clinical tests involving antibiotics, phenergan, albuterol, tobramycin and morphine are underway. Next Safety expects early results to be available next month.