INHL:NASDAQ Inhale Therapeutics (Palto Alto, CA) is a cutting-edge biotech which
is developing pulmonary (that is inhaled) delivery systems for
biopharmaceuticals.
They have multiple partnerships with other biotech and pharmaceutical
firms. They are on the verge of changing the entire paradigm for
the biotech industry. If you had a choice, would you rather
have an injection or breathe in a puff of powder?
Pulmonary delivery provides a large surface area for drug delivery,
extensive vasculature, a relatively thin, permeable memrbane, and low
extracellualr enzymatic activity, which all favor a rapid and significant absorption compared
to other non-injectable routes. In addition, having a powder
aerosol formulation allows for greater drug stability, better patient
compliance, and more flexibility.
Most importantly, they are an partneship with Pfizer (Groton, CT) on
a Phase II trial of an inhaled formualtion of insulin. So far, the
data show that the insulin can be absorbed and successfully lower blood
glucose levels. Consider that insulin is about an $870 market and
is growing at 11% annually. This could be a potential home run and
could change the way the biotech industry thinks about formulating and
delivering drugs.
Rick Costantino |
