Formulations have been developed for pulmonary delivery to treat or reduce the
infectivity of diseases such as viral infections, especially
tuberculosis, SARS, influenza and respiratory synticial
virus in humans and
hoof and mouth
disease in animals. Formulations for pulmonary administration include a material that significantly alters physical properties such as
surface tension and
surface elasticity of
lung mucus lining fluid, which may be a surfactant and, optionally, a carrier. The formulation may be administered as a
powder where the particles consist basically of the material altering
surface tension. The carrier may be a solution, such as an
alcohol, although an
aqueous solution may be utilized, or a material mixed with the material altering
surface tension to form particles. These may include proteins such as
albumin or polysaccharides such as
dextran, which also has surface active properties, or polymers such as
polyethylene oxide (PEO) or biodegradable synthetic polymers which can be used to encapsulate or deliver the materials to be delivered. Drugs, especially antivirals or
antibiotics, may optionally be included with the formulation. These may be administered with or incorporated into the formulation.