UAEM seeks to improve inhaled drug therapy
Press release
Notice No. 4935
University City, October 25, 2023
Sergio Alcalá Alcalá, a research professor at the School of Pharmacy of the Autonomous University of Morelos (UAEM), designs dry powder compounds to improve inhaled drug delivery treatments for different diseases.
The researchers explain that inhaled drug delivery is delivered from the upper and lower respiratory tract via the nasal or pulmonary route, but this method can also be used to treat other conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Sergio Alcalá emphasized that for many years, the UAEM School of Pharmacy has been using nano- and microtechnology approaches to develop more efficient and selective particles that can safely reach the lungs and help treat pneumonia, lung cancer and hypertension, the study The work won the 2019 Technology Innovation Award.
“As new technologies become available for dry powder inhalation drug delivery, they require particle sizes that can reach directly into the lungs without activating any complex equipment, where the patient simply places the device and inhales a natural dose,” said Sergio Alcalá.
He added that in the case of high blood pressure, it is more feasible and effective to inhale a dose of dry powder, which can keep a person stable for about five hours, unlike treatments that require taking two or more tablets a day.
Another application for dry powder compounds is in inhaled insulin for the treatment of diabetes, “which avoids the pain and discomfort of injecting insulin, thereby improving patients’ quality of life.”
Sergio Alcalá explains that inhaled drug delivery “is a long-standing method of treating current respiratory diseases (e.g. important infections caused by COVID-19.” 19 and others, such as chronic pulmonary obstruction, pneumonia, and asthma.
Researchers say that despite the benefits of inhalation, Mexicans do not use inhalation much, “Instead, they prefer to use other devices such as pressurized cartridges or nebulizers to treat asthma. But for pediatric patients, , they face problems coordinating the actions of the device and simultaneously inhaling air, which results in a very low dose reaching the lungs directly, resulting in suboptimal dosing.”
In this sense, the researchers highlight the importance of applying new technologies to drug treatments, as treatment alternatives are designed to eliminate the need for patients to coordinate dosing.
Finally, Sergio Alcala announced that the next phase of the investigation is testing in vivopublish more clinical trial results, patent the knowledge, and initiate technology transfers that are of interest to pharmaceutical companies and laboratories working to create new medicines.
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