INHALED mRNA: The Race Has Begun

Current Edition

Current Edition

Subsection - CDMO

Examining how innovative technologies, integrated manufacturing approaches and AI are shaping manufacturing.

Subsection - Injectables

Exploring advances in injectable drug delivery and sterile manufacturing, designed to improve patient-centric delivery.

Subsection - Neurodegenerative Diseases

Exploring emerging approaches to neurodegenerative disease research and treatment.

Subsection - Nasal & Pulmonary

Highlighting how advances in nasal and pulmonary drug delivery, formulation, devices and analytics are enabling more complex therapies.

With targeted delivery and potential for improved patient adherence, inhaled mRNA therapies are emerging as the new frontier in respiratory and genetic medicine. A growing pipeline of candidates are laying the groundwork for a new class of precision biologics.

In short:

There are 29 inhaled mRNA drugs currently in development.
44% of all mRNA candidates target infectious diseases.
There are no candidates beyond Phase II as of April 2025.
Cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia are the leading respiratory indications being considered for inhaled mRNA therapies.
Nebulisers are used in the preclinical phase, while soft mist inhalers offer greater precision, portability and scale up continuity from Phase I through to commercialisation.
Strategic partnerships between drug developers and inhalation device innovators are essential to move the field forward.

INHALED mRNA: A New Market for Drug Delivery

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have become a significant trend in the drug development world. These mighty molecules contain the ‘instructions’ needed for cells to make specific proteins that match with a pathogen’s antigens. The immune system responds by dispatching antibodies and T-cells, an attack which can then be repeated if the patient is infected with the real virus.