Developmental Progress and Future Potential for Inhaled Biologics in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases

Inhaled biologics to treat lung diseases have an extensive history. This is counterbalanced by the limited products that have reached the commercialization stage of development despite the numerous disease states and targets that may be suitable for the delivery of proteins, peptides, or nucleic acid therapeutics. These opportunities are reviewed alongside current and past clinical and preclinical studies that highlight both successful and discontinued programs, providing key lessons for future development. Although there are physical, biological, and technical barriers that must be overcome to successfully deliver these relatively fragile moieties to the lung, there are commercial and clinical reasons why success has not always been realized. This review captures the current landscape of inhaled biologics, and as the field advances, we expect the inhaled route to expand rapidly given its distinct pharmacokinetic advantages for local lung diseases.