Feasibility of intranasal delivery of thin-film freeze-dried monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) administered intranasally as dry powders can be potentially applied for the treatment or pre-exposure prevention of viral infections in the upper respiratory tract. However, a method to transform the mAbs from liquid to dry powders suitable for intranasal administration and a device that can spray the dry powders to the desired region of the nasal cavity are needed to fully realize the potentials of the mAbs. Herein, we report that thin-film freeze-drying can be applied to prepare aerosolizable mAb dry powders and that the dry powders can be sprayed into the posterior nasal cavity using Aptar Pharmas Unidose (UDS) Powder Nasal Spray System. AUG-3387, a human-derived mAb that neutralizes the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was used in the present study. First, we prepared AUG-3387 thin-film freeze-dried powders (i.e., TFF AUG-3387 powders) from liquid formulations containing different levels of mAbs. The TFF AUG-3387 powder with the highest solid content (i.e., TFF AUG-3387C powder) was then chosen for further characterization, including the evaluation of the plume geometry, spray pattern, and particle size distribution after the powder was sprayed using the UDS Powder device. Finally, the deposition patterns of the TFF AUG-3387C powder sprayed using the UDS Powder device were studied using 3D-printed nasal replica casts based on an adult model and a child model. It is concluded that it is feasible to intranasally deliver mAbs as dry powders by transforming the mAbs into dry powders using thin-film freeze-drying and then spray the powder using the UDS Powder device.