A New Generation of Inhaled Vaccines

Vaccines have stood the test of time as being one of the greatest developments in health history. Delivery of these life-saving vaccines has primarily remained reliant on intramuscular administration, which has its own collection of shortcomings. When considering what vaccine formulation is best suited to be a widely accessible and effective tool in the fight against respiratory pathogens, current data and science points to a number of improvements available to us. These improvements include: • An inhaled formulation, uniquely stimulating mucosal immunity • A dry powder formulation to improve long-term stability • A live attenuated vaccine to increase immunogenic response • Liposomal encapsulation to increase overall stability and delivery • Utilization of a single-use, dry powder inhaler device to increase ease of transport and opening the door to self-administration Many of these elements are already common practice in vaccine development. Still, there are no FDA approved inhaled vaccines for use, and a vaccine formulation that harnesses all the points above together has yet to be seen. Through literary investigation, a vaccine as described above is possible and within the realistic bounds of what modern science is capable of. An inhaled vaccine is a viable option that has shown efficacy and safety outcomes non-inferior, if not superior, to intramuscular delivery.