Left: the blister before inhalation. Right: what is retained after inhalation. The large translucent particles are lactose crystals, while the smaller blue particles represent an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). [Image courtesy of CHI]
The startup developed Quattrii to deliver large volumes of biologic and mRNA molecules in a single inhalation. It plans to make it available to pharmaceutical companies to use in Phase 1 clinical trials from the fourth quarter of this year.
Quattrii aims to transform the delivery of drugs for conditions that affect the lungs and airways, including lung cancer therapies. It could also help treat systemic conditions where delivery to the lung is more advantageous, like pain management or Parkinson’s disease. The device delivers at least 70% of the drug to the lung with each inhalation, CHI says. This compares to anywhere between 10% and 50% with existing inhalers.
CHI designed Quattrii to separate the active drug from the lactose portion of the formulation, included for easier handling and production. It still retains the lactose fraction within the blister, meaning the patient needs to inhale much less total power to receive the required dose. With this, more drug reaches the lungs.
The company says Quattrii can reduce the amount of the drug needed for the required therapeutic effect, helping to avoid side effects like hair loss and nausea that accompany traditional intravenous chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. It also means patients receive doses in a few seconds instead of over several hours.
“Respirable drugs offer so much potential, but for too long the lack of innovation in inhaler technology has been a hugely limiting factor. They are either not capable of offering sufficient moisture protection, or of delivering the amount of drug a patient needs in one go, regardless of the vast range of lung and inhalation capacities,” said David Harris, CEO and founder of CHI. There is a better way – and by creating an inhaler from the ground up, that is designed to make the best use of the patient’s inhalation energy, we have been able to achieve something that is easier to use and provides much greater efficiency.”
