Inhaled voriconazole formulations for invasive fungal infections in the lungs

Attention has begun to focus on the pulmonary delivery of antifungal agents for invasive fungal infections as inhalation of the fungal spores is often the initial step in the pathogenesis of many of these infections. Invasive fungal infection in the lungs in immunocompromised patients has high mortality rates despite current systemic (oral or intravenous) therapies. However, drug delivery of antifungal agents directly to the lungs could potentially result in high concentrations of drug in the lungs, a quicker onset of action, and reduction of systemic side effects. Voriconazole (VRC) is a second, generation triazole antifungal agent with increased potency, a broad spectrum of antifungal activity, and a fairly poor aqueous solubility. It is the recommended therapeutic agent for the treatment of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis (IPA), and its use has improved therapeutic outcomes in immunocompromised patients with IPA. Still, systemic administration by oral or intravenous delivery is limited by high inter- and intra-patient pharmacokinetic variability, many potential drug interactions, and a narrow therapeutic index with many adverse effects, leading to clinical failures. Therefore, development of novel particulate formulations containing VRC for targeted drug delivery to the lungs is critical to improving therapeutic outcomes in patients with invasive fungal infections in the lungs. Within the framework of this dissertation, two particle engineering processes, thin film freezing (TFF) and advanced evaporative precipitation into aqueous solution (AEPAS), were investigated. The goal was to investigate microcrystalline VRC, nanocrystalline VRC, and nanostructured amorphous VRC formulations suitable for pulmonary delivery and to determine the effect of morphology on the in vivo deposition and distribution of inhaled particulate VRC formulations. TFF process parameters significantly affected the solid state properties and aerodynamic performance of the dry powder formulations containing VRC. Following dry powder insufflation into the lungs of mice, microstructured crystalline TFF-VRC achieved higher and more prolonged concentrations of VRC in the lungs with slightly lower systemic bioavailability than nanostructured amorphous TFF-VRC-PVP K25. AEPAS and TFF of template nanoemulsions did not lead to production of crystalline nanoparticles, as predicted. In particular, VRC proved to be a difficult molecule to stabilize in the nanocrystalline and nanostructured amorphous states. Ultimately, this body of work demonstrated that the particle engineering process, TFF, could be used to develop voriconazole formulations suitable for dry powder inhalation with more favorable pharmacokinetic parameters compared to inhaled voriconazole solution.