TY - JOUR
T1 - Inhalation of vaccines and antiviral drugs to fight respiratory virus infections
T2 - Reasons to prioritize the pulmonary route of administration
AU - Heida, Rick
AU - Frijlink, Henderik W
AU - Hinrichs, Wouter L J
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Many of the current pandemic threats are caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. Remarkably though, the majority of vaccines and antiviral drugs are administered via alternative routes. In this perspective, we argue that the pulmonary route of administration deserves more attention in the search for novel therapeutic strategies against respiratory virus infections. Firstly, vaccines administered at the viral portal of entry can induce a broader immune response, employing the mucosal arm of the immune system; secondly, direct administration of antiviral drugs at the target site leads to superior bioavailability, enabling lower dosing and reducing the chance of side effects. We further elaborate on why the pulmonary route may induce a superior effect compared to the intranasal route of administration and provide reasons why dry powder formulations for inhalation have significant advantages over standard liquid formulations.
AB - Many of the current pandemic threats are caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. Remarkably though, the majority of vaccines and antiviral drugs are administered via alternative routes. In this perspective, we argue that the pulmonary route of administration deserves more attention in the search for novel therapeutic strategies against respiratory virus infections. Firstly, vaccines administered at the viral portal of entry can induce a broader immune response, employing the mucosal arm of the immune system; secondly, direct administration of antiviral drugs at the target site leads to superior bioavailability, enabling lower dosing and reducing the chance of side effects. We further elaborate on why the pulmonary route may induce a superior effect compared to the intranasal route of administration and provide reasons why dry powder formulations for inhalation have significant advantages over standard liquid formulations.
U2 - 10.1128/mbio.01295-23
DO - 10.1128/mbio.01295-23
M3 - Article
C2 - 37768057
SN - 2150-7511
VL - 14
JO - mBio
JF - mBio
IS - 5
M1 - e0129523
ER -