Comparative analysis of drug deposition patterns among three commercial nasal spray brands: A computational and experimental study

This study investigates drug deposition patterns in nasal drug delivery by combining experimental measurements with computational fluid dynamics simulations. We analyzed three, over the counter, mometasone nasal spray devices, experimentally characterizing particle diameter (dp), spray velocity (up), and spray angle (α). Unlike previous studies that relied on assumed parameters or single-brand analyses, we conducted comparative analyses using measured parameters integrated into COMSOL Multiphysics simulations. The study optimized the Line of Sight (LOS) method by exploring various spray positions and instructions to avoid anterior loss of medication in the anterior nasal cavity. Results revealed that Brand 3, with its narrow spray angle, achieved superior drug delivery efficiency when properly aligned with the target region. However, its performance decreased significantly when misaligned due to its smaller spray cone angle. Our findings show that sprays with narrower cone angles delivered medicine more effectively to the ostiomeatal complex (OMC) with up to 44% higher efficiency using the LOS method. Additionally, in cases with septal deviation, we observed a 14–20% higher drug deposition rate in the right nasal cavity compared to the left. The LOS method significantly improved drug deposition by 2.86–3 times, while the Deep Spray method further enhanced it by 38–50%. This integrated experimental-computational approach provides practical insights for optimizing nasal spray device design and administration techniques, particularly considering anatomical variations.