Intranasal Delivery of Antiepileptic Medications for Treatment of Seizures

Intranasal transmucosal delivery of benzodiazepines is useful in reducing time to drug administration and cessation of seizures in the pre-hospital setting, when actively seizing patients arrive in the emergency room, and at home where caregivers treat their dependents. This review summarizes factors to consider when choosing a benzodiazepine for intranasal administration, including formulation and device considerations, pharmacology and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles. A review of the most relevant clinical studies in epilepsy patients will provide context for the relative success of this technique with a number of benzodiazepines and relatively less sophisticated nasal preparations. Neuropeptides delivered intranasally, crossing the blood-brain barrier via the olfactory system, may increase the availability of medications for treatment of epilepsy. Consequently, there remains a significant unmet medical need to serve the pharamcotherapeutic requirements of epilepsy patients through commercial development and marketing of intranasal antiepileptic products.