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LEXINGTON, Mass., Sept. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pulmatrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM) today announced that a recent white paper, What is the future of inhalation delivery?, by global research and consulting firm Envigo predicts rapid growth for drugs that are delivered to the lungs through inhalation. "The global market for inhalation drug delivery methodology alone is expected to reach US $48bn by 2016," says the report.

Why is inhaled drug delivery so promising? "As the white paper describes, inhaling drugs into the lungs has important advantages over taking pills," says David Edwards, Gordon McKay Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and founder of Advanced Inhalation Research. "It allows drugs to be delivered that can't be taken orally. It allows lower doses compared to pills, reducing side effects. And it usually gets drugs into the body faster than taking a pill."

Until recently, the major use of inhaled drugs has been for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Envigo reports. That use continues to grow rapidly, as the incidence of those diseases increases. "It has been estimated that by 2030, COPD will be the 4th leading cause of death worldwide," the report says. Pulmatrix is targeting this market with its inhaled drug for COPD, PUR0200, being developed in collaboration with Mylan.

But delivering drugs to the lungs is "increasingly being investigated" for a wide variety of other diseases as well, the report says. Analysts at Envigo found 1350 studies over the last four years that targeted 802 different diseases with inhaled drugs. Helping to drive this explosive growth has been "recent advances in the manufacture of dry powder and liquid formulations" to deliver inhaled drugs, the white paper says.

For example, Pulmatrix's own iSPERSE dry powder technology uses particles that 'fly' easily to deliver drugs. "Our technology can deliver virtually any type of drug to the lungs, even in patients who have trouble breathing in," explains Pulmatrix's Chief Scientific Officer, David L. Hava, PhD.

In particular, both the Envigo white paper and Pulmatrix see cystic fibrosis as a major growth area for inhaled drugs. "For instance, Pulmatrix's PUR1900 drug candidate, which combines an existing antifungal drug with the company's dry powder technology, is making it possible to directly treat fungal infections in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients," says Stanford University CF expert Richard Moss M.D. "That could offer major benefits to CF patients."

Once seen as a "niche delivery methodology," delivering drugs through inhalation has the potential to become much more widely used, thanks to recent advances, the Envigo report concludes.

About Pulmatrix      
Pulmatrix is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious pulmonary disease using its patented iSPERSE™ technology. The Company's proprietary product pipeline is focused on advancing treatments for rare diseases, including PUR1900, an inhaled anti-fungal for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). In addition, Pulmatrix is pursuing opportunities in major pulmonary diseases through collaborations, including PUR0200, a branded generic in clinical development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Pulmatrix's product candidates are based on iSPERSE™, its proprietary dry powder delivery platform, which seeks to improve therapeutic delivery to the lungs by maximizing local concentrations and reducing systemic side effects to improve patient outcomes.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 
Certain statements in this press release that are forward-looking and not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company cautions that such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may materially affect the Company's results of operations. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to the ability to establish that potential products are efficacious or safe in preclinical or clinical trials; the ability to establish or maintain collaborations on the development of therapeutic candidates; the ability to obtain appropriate or necessary governmental approvals to market potential products; the ability to obtain future funding for developmental products and working capital and to obtain such funding on commercially reasonable terms; the Company's ability to manufacture product candidates on a commercial scale or in collaborations with third parties; changes in the size and nature of competitors; the ability to retain key executives and scientists; and the ability to secure and enforce legal rights related to the Company's products, including patent protection. A discussion of these and other factors, including risks and uncertainties with respect to the Company, is set forth in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2016. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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SOURCE Pulmatrix, Inc.