Inhaled Oxytocin - Landscape and Stakeholder Analysis in Regions with High Maternal Mortality

Monash is seeking to develop an affordable heat-stable, self-contained, simple to administer inhaled delivery system for oxytocin. Such a product removes the challenges associated with access and use of the current oxytocin product and has the potential to ensure that a high-quality oxytocin product is accessible to women with greatest need. The project is innovative as it would, for the first time, provide an effective oxytocin product that does not rely on cold chain supply and storage to maintain quality or the presence of healthcare workers trained to safely administer injections. Current uterotonic products are presented either as injections susceptible to degradation in ambient conditions or, in the case of misoprostol tablets, do not provide the level of efficacy possible with oxytocin. The proposed inhaled oxytocin product presents the potential of delivering the gold standard therapy in a robust form that simplifies administration at a cost equivalent to current products. As such, this innovative product has the potential to significantly expand access to oxytocin across low- and middle-income countries by creating efficiencies within busy facilities, administration to lower tier healthcare workers and birth attendants.