World leader in nasal and pulmonary drug delivery devices, Valois Pharma worked closely with Nycomed to develop the spray device which allows fentanyl to be delivered intranasally for the first time to cancer patients suffering from breakthrough pain.
As well as being noninvasive and easy-to-use, fentanyl delivered by nasal spray has fast onset of action.
A step forward in systemic nasal drug delivery A
Estimated at 2 billion dollars in 2008, the world market for systemic nasal drug delivery has seen strong growth in the last few years, with the launch of products such as those containing calcitonine for osteoporosis, desmopressine for enuresis and triptans for migraine attacks.
Now Nycomed’s Instanyl® provides treatment for breakthrough pain in adults already receiving maintenance opioid therapy for chronic cancer pain.
These episodes of moderate to severe pain, which often are difficult to anticipate, can now be managed by patients themselves.
Systemic nasal drug delivery has a number of advantages.
After being sprayed into the nasal cavity and absorbed by the nasal mucosa, the medication enters the vascular system directly allowing the active ingredient to take effect rapidly.
In addition, because it is easy to use, nasal delivery allows the patient to have autonomous control over the treatment.
The VP7 spray pump
Valois Pharma’s high-performance VP7 spray pump makes drug delivery easier and improves patient comfort. It is widely used in drug delivery for both systemic and local treatment.
For Instanyl®, Nycomed chose the VP7D version, which is designed to be used with preservative-free medication.
The pump is fitted with a nasal actuator of ergonomic design that is comfortable to use. The VP7 range is recognised globally for its comfort of use by patients as well as for its total security coupled with excellent dose accuracy and spray performance.
Add a comment