The blood-brain barrier poses challenges for central nervous system (CNS) drug delivery, but intranasal administration offers a promising solution by bypassing this barrier and increasing CNS drug concentrations. Long-acting drug delivery systems, like injectable or implantable devices, provide sustained dosing and improve adherence for chronic conditions such as schizophrenia. Drug-eluting intranasal implants combine these advantages, releasing drugs directly into the nasal cavity to reduce systemic side effects, like those of oral antipsychotics such as risperidone. This approach has the potential to address adherence issues and improve outcomes in schizophrenia treatment.

This study developed RIS-loaded intranasal implants featuring a drug core and a rate-controlling poly(caprolactone) membrane, enabling sustained drug release for up to 100 days in vitro. The implants demonstrated therapeutic CNS-targeted doses, a favorable release profile, and biocompatibility. This innovative method could significantly improve schizophrenia care and patient outcomes.

Reference: Utomo E, Li L, Gao J, et al. Reservoir-type intranasal implants for sustained release of risperidone: A potential alternative for long-term treatment of schizophrenia. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol. 2024, 105973. doi: 10.1016/j.jddst.2024.105973.