Olfactory drug delivery offers a promising route for direct access to the central nervous system. In a new study published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, Nick Allan, StarFish Medical Bio Services Manager, joins an international team of researchers to investigate how different intranasal delivery methods affect deposition and pharmacokinetics in rodents.

The team compared two techniques: nasal spray and nose drops. Using fluorescent-labeled dextran and drug tracers, the study examined how well each approach targeted the olfactory epithelium. Fluorescence imaging and LC-MS/MS confirmed that nose drops enabled greater delivery to the olfactory region than traditional sprays. The data showed that nose drops produced more consistent, concentrated deposition at the upper nasal cavity—a region critical for nose-to-brain drug absorption.

Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that olfactory-targeted nose drops led to faster and higher uptake in both the brain and blood. These findings emphasize the importance of delivery method selection for effective CNS-targeted intranasal therapies. The work also highlights how rodent models can provide insight into translational strategies for olfactory targeting in humans.

This article advances the field of olfactory drug delivery by offering side-by-side analysis of two accessible intranasal methods. The results point to nose drops as a viable and potentially superior alternative for delivering therapeutics to the brain via the nasal route.

Read the full study to explore how olfactory targeting can improve intranasal drug performance in preclinical models.