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RESEARCH TITLE:

DEVELOPMENT AND IN-VITRO, EX VIVO, AND IN VIVO
EVALUATIONS OF NOVEL NANOMEDICINE FORMULATIONS FOR
THE DELIVERY OF ANTIVIRAL DRUG, ZANAMIVIR TO IMPROVE
ORAL ABSORPTION PROFILE

1.0 RESEARCH BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction

Influenza, also referred to as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness brought on

by influenza viruses and can pose a serious health threat to those who are already
vulnerable, including the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and people with pre-

existing chronic health conditions. The flu virus is currently “making a tenacious

comeback” after having practically disappeared when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the
nation. Zanamivir is an antiviral agent used to treat influenza A and B. The drug is used

in adults and children at least 7 years old to treat infections by virus which also being
uses to treat swine influenza A. Being an influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitor,

Zanamivir works by preventing new viruses from emerging from infected cells. Drugs
administrated orally are the most common as they are convenient, patient choice, cheaper,

and easy to manufacture on a large scale. Oral formulations cover around 90% of the

global market of drugs formulated for human use, and approximately 60% of the
established small-molecule drug on the market are administered orally (Alqahtani et al.,

2021).

The main problems for orally administered drugs are their low bioavailability and
instability (Dr Sabeel, C. L. 2014). The drug bioavailability is highly dependent on their

physicochemical, biochemical, metabolic, and biological barriers (Alqahtani et al., 2021).
Zanamivir is licensed only for inhalation administration as it has a very low oral

bioavailability. More than 75% of the drug administered are deposited in the oropharynx
and a lot of it is swallowed. The amount of the drug which distributed to the airways and

lungs depends on factors such as the patient's inspiratory flow. Around 13% of the drug

are distributed to the airways and lungs while 10% are distributed systemically. The drug
concentration which needed to inhibit influenza A and B are very high on the local

respiratory mucosal drug which is more than enough for the antiviral drug to be effective.