Respiratory disease is a global pandemic, affecting over 1 billion people worldwide.[1]  With the rising prevalence of pulmonary disorders, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, there is an increasing need for new medications.  In the pharmaceutical industry, of the compounds being developed for key therapeutic areas, approximately 7-10% represent therapeutic compounds being developed for respiratory diseases.[2]  However, the rate of market approval for respiratory drugs is only 3%, whereas drugs treating other health conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, have a 6-14% chance of obtaining FDA approval.[3]  Historically, poor pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and toxicology were common causes for drug failure.  While the industry has made advancements in the tools used to accurately predict these parameters and increase advancements to clinical trials, this has not been the case for inhaled formulations. ​

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To address these limitations, Microtek is developing a new tool - the μIT Catheter - for use during the preclinical stages of drug development of inhaled therapeutics.  The μIT Catheter, a self-expandable intratracheal lung delivery device, will nebulize drugs in the trachea and efficiently distribute the particles in the lungs when administered using single or multiple dosing strategies.  The integration of this new tool will greatly improve the early stage drug development process for respiratory drugs and help advance therapeutics towards FDA approval.

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Figure.  (A) Lung and (B) implantation of μIT Catheter in the trachea.

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References
 
1.  Bousquet, J., Dahl, R. & Khaltaev, N. Global alliance against chronic respiratory diseases. Allergy 62, 216-223 (2007). 
2. Mestre-Ferrandiz, J., Sussex, J. & Towse, A. THE R&D COST OF A NEW MEDICINE. London, Office of Health Economics (2012). 
3. Barnes, P.J., et al. Barriers to new drug development in respiratory disease. The European respiratory journal 45, 1197-1207       

    (2015).