OptiNose is launching a Phase III trial to test the migraine drug sumatriptan with its intranasal nose-to-brain drug delivery technology.
The technology is designed to improve on current nasal sprays, with which drugs typically end up in the throat more than their desired target in the nasal cavity or brain. To use the system, the user breathes into the device through the mouth, and then the soft palate closes off the nasal cavity. The drug rockets into the nasal cavity, where much more of it is designed to reach targeted membranes in the nose or brain.
OptiNose's trial is enrolling about 200 people and runs through June, according to details posted on the NIH website Clinicaltrials.gov. Investigators at multiple sites around the country are looking for subjects between the ages of 18 and 65 who have experienced between one and 8 migraines per month over the last year.
OptiNose moved to the U.S. from Norway a couple of years back to finance its late-stage trials. When we first told you about OptiNose in 2010, the company had raised $48.5 million from Avista Capital Partners to finance its relocation to Yardley, PA, and gear up for late-stage trials.
In a statement, CEO Peter Miller referred to the trial as "an important milestone."
- read the release
- check out the study details
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