Telmisartan Nanosuspension for Inhaled Therapy of COVID-19 Lung Disease and Other Respiratory Infections

Daiqin Chen, Xin Yun, Daiheon Lee, Joseph R. Dicostanzo, Oreola Donini, Cecilia M. Shikuma, Karen Thompson, Axel T. Lehrer, Larissa Shimoda, Jung Soo Suk

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy and the occurrence of elusive variants necessitate further treatment options for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Accumulated evidence indicates that clinically used hypertensive drugs, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), may benefit patients by mitigating disease severity and/or viral propagation. However, current clinical formulations administered orally pose systemic safety concerns and likely require a very high dose to achieve the desired therapeutic window in the lung. To address these limitations, we have developed a nanosuspension formulation of an ARB, entirely based on clinically approved materials, for inhaled treatment of COVID-19. We confirmed in vitro that our formulation exhibits physiological stability, inherent drug activity, and inhibitory effect against SARV-CoV-2 replication. Our formulation also demonstrates excellent lung pharmacokinetics and acceptable tolerability in rodents and/or nonhuman primates following direct administration into the lung. Thus, we are currently pursuing clinical development of our formulation for its uses in patients with COVID-19 or other respiratory infections.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)750-757
Number of pages8
JournalMolecular Pharmaceutics
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2 2023

Keywords

  • acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
  • inhalational therapy
  • nanosuspension
  • renin-angiotensin system
  • respiratory infection

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Drug Discovery
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Pharmaceutical Science

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