Alternative Applications for Drug Delivery: Nasal and Pulmonary Routes

Abstract

For treatment of human diseases, nasal and pulmonary routes of drug delivery are gaining increasing importance. These routes provide promising alternatives to parenteral drug delivery particularly for peptide and protein therapeutics. For this purpose, several drug delivery systems have been formulated and are being investigated for nasal and pulmonary delivery. These include liposomes, proliposomes, microspheres, gels, prodrugs, cyclodextrins and others. In this chapter, nasal and pulmonary drug delivery mechanisms and some of the relevant drug delivery formulations are evaluated