Inhaled Oxytocin for Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage in Resource-Poor Settings

An international group of public and private organizations is collaborating to accelerate development of an innovative heat-stable and low-cost, inhaled form of oxytocin to manage postpartum hemorrhage in resource-poor settings. The technology, originally developed at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is being licensed to GSK as part of a collaborative agreement to co-develop, register and distribute the product in regions of high maternal mortality. Accessibility to quality oxytocin in resource-poor settings is limited, as current products are only available in an injectable form requiring supply and storage under refrigerated conditions and trained personnel to administer the product safely. This new collaboration aims to address these issues through the development of a heat-stable, affordable and easy-to-administer inhaled form of oxytocin. Formulated as a dry powder, inhaled oxytocin eliminates the need for refrigerated storage conditions, while delivering oxytocin via a powder inhaler could facilitate its administration by health workers, birth attendants and mothers themselves.