Pump-powered nebulizer for developing world
The device is being developed to function anywhere on earth, administrating vaccinations in extreme conditions without a power source. Respiratory delivery is at least as effective as using needles and is more suitable for mass immunisation campaigns. Consequently the technique has been advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is seeking suitable devices. This was the ethos guiding Esmeralda Megally when she co-founded the company. Speaking to in-PharmaTechnologist.com Megally said the company had set out to make a device, "ideal for the developing world, which can work in the toughest conditions on earth". In order to realise this goal Megally and her co-workers Jose Gomez-Marquez, Amit Srivastava, Anton Aboukhalil and Ryan Bardsley set about ensuring the nebulizer could be powered in areas without electricity. To achieve this the team incorporated a rechargeable battery into the nebulizer which can be charged by a foot pump. Solar or pedal power can also be used but the cost, simplicity and portability of foot pumps make them ideal for operating in remote regions. Once the battery is charged it will last for at least a couple of hours worth of vaccinations. In addition to modifying the power source the team "wanted to make it (Aerovax) sturdy and contain everything you need" according to Megally. Aerovax is now more durable than standard nebulizers and is also simple enough to be used by medically untrained personnel. To simplify the procedure the vaccine formulation is reconstituted for delivery in an automated one-step process. The system has now been tested using Malvern's facilities and the size of the droplets produced by Aerovax was comparable to the results achieved by electrically driven nebulizers. Gomez-Marquez described this as "great news for our development team" which now hopes to push on with the development of a working prototype for testing in the field. Initially testing will focus on delivery of the measles vaccine, with the development team hoping to trial MMR vaccinations in around two years. The WHO is keen to license a device for respiratory delivery of measles vaccines as it attempts to curb the disease which killed one person a minute in 2003.
