A handful of North American companies which see potential for vape-like devices to ease migraines and respiratory diseases such as asthma have a long road to convince health authorities and patients that their products can be the future of inhaled medication.
Two companies, Qnovia and MIIST Therapeutics, have developed vape-like devices based on technology used in existing medical nebulisers, which turns liquid medications into a fine mist.
Another company, Greentank, says it has developed a way to vaporise substances via a heating chip that addresses safety concerns with current vapes and may offer a better way to treat ailments like migraines.
The companies and experts say inhalation can relieve pain in seconds, with fewer side effects than pills, but their ambitions to sell devices resembling vapes in the medical sphere, amid growing concerns about their health impacts, will be a tough task.
For now, Qnovia and MIIST will launch their products initially as prescription-only nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) treatments, while Greentank is initially targeting the use of its heating chip in recreational cannabis and nicotine vapes.
The companies ultimately aim to see their devices delivering a wide range of drugs and Douglas Dunlap, chief commercial officer at Greentank, cites migraine medication as an example.
A common method of administering migraine treatment is via a pill, which takes up to an hour to kick in and can include symptoms such as vomiting and dizziness.
“If we could shorten that, it would be a huge success for us,” said Dunlap, a former executive at vape gaint JUUL, adding vapes can deliver a hit within 60 seconds.
Three billion people globally suffer from migraines, according to the World Health Organization. Hundreds of millions more have conditions like asthma or pulmonary diseases, treated with inhaled medications.
Pharmaceutical company GSK alone generated almost 7 billion pounds ($8.9 billion) of revenue from general respiratory medicines for conditions such as asthma and pulmonary diseases in 2023.
