Delivery of biologics to the lung

Delivery of drugs by inhalation for the treatment of respiratory disease is well established. The primary advantage of local delivery is the achieveme nt of efficacy while minimizing systemic side effects. With the respiratory tract as the target organ, biologics are likely to benefit even more by di rect delivery because their transport between the blood circulation and the airway tissue and lumen is limited. This may result in better safety and e fficacy, as well as improved economics since much lower doses may be effect ive compared to systemic administration. Protecting biologies against degra dation during storage and aerosol generation may require the use of new typ es of formulations and inhalation systems with which they can be efficientl y and reproducibly delivered. Examples of current clinical status of biolog ics delivered to the lung are provided.