Mechanical innovation
for patient needs

IDC was commissioned to develop technology for a convenient and multi-use dry powder nasal spray.

Systemic drug delivery through nasal membranes offers a quick and effective way of transporting drugs into the bloodstream. Existing nasal delivery systems mainly used liquid drug formulations, but drugs in powder form are the preferred choice, as liquid formulations tend to be less stable.

IDC aimed to develop technology for a nasal device that would deliver dry powder accurately and with ease of use.

The first stage of the project looked at the ergonomics and usability of the device, to understand how it could be used in a convenient way that was simple to operate for all ages of patients.

IDC's industrial design and engineering teams worked closely to develop a solution that delivered an accurate drug dosage.

The teams then produced concepts to visualise how the device would function and look.

IDC's engineers conducted extensive tests to understand how the powder plume would behave with different device mechanisms. The rate of powder ejection was measured to see which mechanism delivered the best height and spread for optimum absorption across the nasal membranes.

Once the ideal solution had been identified, IDC Models developed prototypes and worked with the engineering team to set up test rigs for full evaluation of form and function.

Competitor products were also evaluated in test rigs and the results used for comparison.

IDC's final solution was highly successful in delivering dry powder in an effective, convenient and user-friendly way. It was also designed to be cost effective for large volume production.