TwinCaps inhaler for Inavir approved in Japan
Approval granted to Daiichi Sankyo Company
Hovione’s Inavir 20mg dry powder inhaler has been approved in Japan.
The approval has been granted to Daiichi Sankyo Company, Hovione’s licensee for the TwinCaps inhaler, which delivers the drug to the lungs.
Hovione, based in Loures, Portugal, developed the TwinCaps inhaler specifically for this indication. Inavir directly delivers the drug to the infected airways of influenza patients, and Hovione says a single inhaled dose is as effective as a five-day course of oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza.
According to Hovione, the low cost of the device means the inhaler can be disposable and is thus ideally suited to the treatment of lung infection. As bacteria or viruses are present in the airways, a disposable inhaler may be safer than a re-usable one.
Peter Villax, the inventor of TwinCaps and vice-president of Hovione, said: ‘This approval will boost visibility for TwinCaps, an inhaler designed for extreme ease of use, as would be necessary in the case of a pandemic.’
