Iconovo AB (publ) announced launches improved versions of nasal ICOone®. Both inhalers are designed for high technical performance and to minimize the risk of user error. The development of the improved nasal ICOone® inhalers has taken place within the framework of a successful development collaboration with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

ICOone® Nasal inhalers are the world's only inhalation-driven nasal powder inhalers. The design of the improved versions of nasal ICOone® inhalers are based on results from the successful user study conducted by Iconovo in 2022 and development work carried out at Iconovo and presented at the Respiratory Drug Delivery 2023 meeting. The updated versions of ICOone® Nasal can deliver vaccines to both the upper and lower airways, which recently published scientific studies indicate can be more effective than injecting vaccines.

Developing vaccines utilizing Iconovo's inhalers offers companies a distinctive advantage, enabling the delivery of medicine to both the upper and lower airways. The purpose of the development collaboration between Iconovo and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is to establish a fast track for inhaled therapies that can improve global healthcare, especially in low- and middle-income countries, in the event of a new virus pandemic. Globally, there is a huge need for a non-invasive, effective, and cost-minimizing method for administering vaccines and biologics for prophylactic viral treatment.

Inhaled vaccines reduce the need for injections, and hereby the management of hazardous waste and the need for cold chain storage and transportation. As previously announced, Iconovo's nasal powder inhalers are also being evaluated in a feasibility project with ENA Respiratory. Within the framework of the project, ICOone® Nasal is being tested with INNA-051, a broad-acting immunomodulatory treatment in a new class that is being developed to prevent complications associated with viral respiratory infections.