Trials of the new puffer show the drug reached the bloodstream in a few minutes—and nearly six out of 10 patients who tested it were completely pain-free after two hours.
The drug used is a powdered form of triptan. It is loaded into one end of the V-shaped puffer device which is inserted into a nostril—the other end of the device is put in the mouth.
When the patient exhales through the mouth, the powder is blown up the nostril. Here, it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream via tiny blood vessels just below the surface on the inside of the nose.
From there, it is quickly carried to the trigeminal nerve. The drug provides relief by blocking pain signals.
Published 21 December 2010, 16:25 IST