I think the inhaler is a UTexas technology.
"In the hunt for COVID-19 drugs, Gilead Sciences' remdesivir remains the sole pharma product authorized in the U.S. But it's reserved for hospitalized patients, leaving those with mild or moderate disease in the lurch.
A research team out of Texas is looking to change that. It's using its thin film freezing technology to create a powdered formulation for use in an inhaler. The approach could vastly expand patient access to the drug—if the California-based biopharma bites. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin developed its dry powder, inhaled version of remdesivir—now only available in IV form—in an effort to reach patients who aren't hospitalized.
The inhaled formulation could deliver patients a lower-cost, lower-dose version of the drug that tackles the disease in its early stages and targets COVID-19 directly in the lungs, the team said.Led by department head Robert O. Williams III, Ph.D., a team at the school's Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery used its thin-film freezing technology to develop the dry powder formula.The rapid freezing technology turns drugs that don't easily dissolve in water into a "brittle matrix powder"—a fluffy powder that's ideal for pulmonary administration, Williams said in an interview. The final product is amorphous, not crystalized, which means it aerosolizes and dissolves easily in the lungs, Williams added.
That dry powder formulation could have an edge over other inhaled COVID-19 fighters in the works, partly in thanks to its purity, the team figures. The thin film freezing technology cuts out the need for inactive ingredients, so the final product is a near-100% remdesivir powder, Williams said."
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