The brain/CNS is an important, yet difficult to access target for drugs used to treat a wide range of conditions from mental illness and pain management (such as migraine) through to neurodegenerative brain diseases such Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s disease and various types of brain cancers such as neuroblastoma. 

Currently, most brain/CNS therapies are administered orally and enter the brain via the systemic circulation However, in recent years, there have been a growing number of drug products approved that look to target the brain following intranasal delivery. These include drugs used to treat a range of neurologic disorders such as triptans, dihydroergotamine and zavegepant for migraine; naloxone and nalmefene for opioid overdose; diazepam and midazolam for use in epilepsy and esketamine recently approved as an adjunct treatment for depression. 

Whether these drugs are delivered orally or nasally, they reach the brain/CNS after absorption into the bloodstream and crossing the blood-brain barrier. However, many potential drug candidates cannot enter by this route, hence the growing interest in other routes into the brain/CNS.

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