Intranasal Devices
Our work with leading pharmaceutical and drug delivery device companies has helped to create devices that provide benefits in comfort and ease of use over conventional nasal spray devices.
We have worked on the development of novel products for regular intranasal self-administration of liquids and gases, as well as devices for vaccine delivery by healthcare professionals.
With our rigorous approach to development, we provide the strong engineering skills and experience necessary to help ensure that your intranasal device can be produced reliably and will perform consistently when it reaches the market.
Coupled with our deep understanding of user needs and expectations, we offer a comprehensive multidisciplinary development service to pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers in this area.
We have the creativity and rigour needed to deliver effective and commercially successful intranasal devices that are reliable, comfortable and easy to use
Uni-dose and bi-dose systems
Many intranasal medications, such as vaccines and rescue treatments can require large doses, in liquid or powder form, that are often delivered intermittently or as a ‘one-off’.
Uni-dose or bi-dose sprays, which dispense one or two doses from a disposable device without the need for priming, are perfectly suited for these applications.
We have worked with leading companies on nasal delivery devices, supporting them to develop intuitive, innovative and enhanced user interfaces and more reliable, robust and consistent actuation mechanisms to deliver within clearly understood parameters.
Multi-dose pumps
For chronic conditions requiring the administration of regular doses, a pump-based spray device is often chosen because it facilitates the delivery of multiple doses from a single reservoir.
DCA has significant design and development experience in this area. We have helped major pharmaceutical companies to develop mechanisms that perform robustly in market and that can be manufactured easily and reliably. We have also worked to develop user interfaces that improve the administration experience and elegant visual design options that stand out and seek to support the client’s brand and its values.
We have supported companies in fully understanding and controlling the tolerances of their devices at high volumes and in controlling and understanding the delivery performance parameters and producing documentation to support client design history files and regulatory approval submissions.
Otrivin Nasal Mist is the result of a seven-year collaboration between Haleon, Aptar Pharma and DCA, using Aptar’s proprietary ‘Lateral Control System’ pump technology.
DCA’s work on Mistpro for a major pharmaceutical company, included: complex tolerance analysis, computational fluid dynamics and detailed mathematical modelling.
Innovative delivery systems
Alongside more traditional intranasal delivery systems, our experienced and creative team of device development experts have worked on highly innovative systems that deliver new treatments and new dosage forms to the nasal cavity in new ways.
There is growing interest for using the nasal cavity as a drug delivery route as it presents a number of specific advantages, particularly due to the large mucosal surface area and abundance of blood vessels. Key advantages are that it is non-invasive and can achieve rapid delivery to the bloodstream, avoiding the gastrointestinal tract and liver, direct delivery to lymphatic tissues and the exciting potential for drug delivery straight to the brain. There are challenges also for this delivery route, many of them are related to usability, for example, there can be discomfort and even damage to the nasal tissues, poor or variable dosing techniques and uncertainty over how to use the device can significantly impact delivery effectiveness.
We have extensive experience through working with pharmaceutical clients to be able to understand the drug and therapeutic considerations and to bring our expertise in Human Factors and drug delivery device development to create innovative, effective and commercially successful solutions.
Developing more sustainable devices
The global environmental challenge facing all industries is becoming increasingly pressing as a consideration for intranasal drug delivery devices.
At DCA, we aim to create ‘elegant’ design solutions that typically have fewer parts and offer better functionality than similar products.
We have built on this core approach to develop a tool kit of eco-design tactics that can be deployed to improve the sustainability of the products we develop. These tactics are divided into things that can be done to improve the sustainability of inputs to the product manufacturing process and things that can be done to improve the lifecycle and end-of-life impacts of a product. We have significant experience and expertise across the spectrum of this area.
Our approach is to create designs that make efficient use of materials and components
Connected devices
As sensor technology and connected infrastructures have developed, the opportunities to improve the real-world performance of drug delivery devices have become more compelling.
Today we have the potential to cost-effectively monitor not just dose delivery and timing, but also parameters such as: air flow rate, device orientation and impact forces. We can also manage dose availability and access, as may be relevant to controlled drugs. Such device information can be used, together with other available supporting data, via an app, to help coach and encourage patients towards better practice, ultimately aimed at improving therapeutic outcomes.
Integrating connected features with a drug delivery device takes significant multidisciplinary skills and expertise. Care is needed to ensure that events are captured reliably and that product size, usability, cost, robustness and lifecycle are appropriately balanced. We are the multidisciplinary partner that can help deliver your connected device with confidence.
We are experts at integrating the electronics and software needed to make devices work effectively and efficiently within growing digital ecosystems
Connected ecosystems
The digital revolution is rapidly changing what is possible in healthcare. New connected devices and companion apps create opportunities for patients to participate more profoundly in managing their own health, and to interact with healthcare providers more effectively.
But these opportunities will only be realised where patient engagement is encouraged and maintained by smart devices and apps that are relevant and intuitive to use and do not place additional barriers in the way.
We have a deep understanding of the connections between drug delivery devices, instructions for use, companion apps, websites and packaging. We are experts at embedding human factors into device ecosystems, following the principles of IEC62366 and drawing from a diverse toolset and skills base to ensure insights are captured early and leveraged efficiently.
Mathematical modelling and computational analysis
Our design work is informed by theoretical analysis and we typically start by assessing ideas and concepts using first-principle mathematical models. This helps to rapidly screen out potential problems and identify the concepts that have inherent advantages.
As design details develop, we turn to class-leading software tools to help predict performance and improve our understanding. Whilst tools such as FEA and CFD have become invaluable, the insights they provide are only as good as the assumptions they build from. We therefore deploy a carefully balanced combination of prototyping, physical testing and computational analysis to validate assumptions and work efficiently towards optimised designs.
Analysis simulations allow us to understand and assess the predicted performance of our concepts from an early stage
Testing and development
The ability to execute tests in a repeatable way is fundamental to successful intranasal device development.
Through years of experience, we have become expert at developing methods for evaluating the performance of new drug delivery devices. Throughout our device development programmes we use statistical methods to help define sample sizes and analyse test results. This approach helps to ensure that no surprises arise during Design Verification.
Our in-house test laboratory is well equipped with qualified and calibrated equipment for performing a wide range of spray performance evaluation. We also work with external laboratories to execute specialist tests and comprehensive evaluation programmes.
Design for automated manufacture
We have a wealth of experience in this area, gained across multiple drug delivery platforms and fast-moving consumer products.
Many of the devices we have designed are manufactured using very high-cavity moulding tools and high-speed automated assembly cells. Designing components that can be efficiently produced in this way requires detailed knowledge of process requirements and equipment limitations. This understanding needs to be accommodated within device designs at a conceptual level, so that appropriate balance is achieved with other requirements.
Our approach is to prototype key manufacturing and assembly process steps as early as possible during development. This typically involves us in designing, manufacturing and evaluating the performance of prototype assembly nests, feeding systems and controlled assembly stations.
Creating devices that can be manufactured efficiently in high volume brings design constraints that require significant know-how to navigate successfully
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