[CINC] NASA Signs Agreement to Develop Nasal Spray for Motion Sickness

[Staci Kaye-Carr]

> A subject near and dear to my heart.....um...really, my head and stomach.....

> NASA SIGNS AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP NASAL SPRAY FOR MOTION SICKNESS
> 
> HOUSTON -- NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Epiomed
> Therapeutics Inc. of Irvine, Calif., have signed an agreement to
> develop and commercialize a NASA-crafted, fast-acting nasal spray to
> fight motion sickness.
> 
> Under the Space Act Agreement, Epiomed will formulate the drug, called
> intranasal scopolamine, or INSCOP. Astronauts often experience motion
> sickness in space. As a result, NASA has conducted extensive research
> into the causes and treatments for the condition. Scopolamine is
> effective and can be administered as a tablet or injected. With a
> precise dosage, the NASA spray formulation has been shown to work
> faster and more reliably than the oral form.
> 
> "NASA and Epiomed will work closely together on further development of
> INSCOP to optimize therapeutic efficiency for both acute and chronic
> treatment of motion sickness which can be used by NASA, the
> Department of Defense and world travelers on land, in the air and on
> the seas," said Lakshmi Putcha, developer of the innovative treatment
> strategy at Johnson.
> 
> A gel formulation of INSCOP was developed and tested under a Space Act
> Agreement between Johnson and the Naval Aerospace Medical Research
> Laboratory in Pensacola, Fla. Results from that trial were published
> in the journal Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine in April
> 2010 that suggest INSCOP is a fast-acting and reliable way to prevent
> and treat motion sickness.
> 
> The U.S. Navy is working on an agreement with Epiomed to test the
> nasal spray. NASA and Epiomed will collaborate on clinical trials
> related to the Federal Drug Administration requirements. NASA is
> transferring sponsorship of future clinical trials and FDA approvals
> to Epiomed, which will supply the product for use by NASA and others.
> 
> 
> For more about Johnson's Human Health and Performance Directorate,
> which developed INSCOP, visit:
> 
> http://go.nasa.gov/RiKclM
> 
> For more on NASA and agency programs, visit:
> 
> http://www.nasa.gov
> 
> 
> -end-
> 
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