the use of numerical values in the various ranges specified in this application , unless expressly indicated otherwise , are stated as approximations as though the minimum and maximum values within the stated ranges were both preceded by the word “ about .” in this manner , slight variations above and below the stated ranges can be used to achieve substantially the same results as values within the ranges . also , the disclosure of these ranges is intended as a continuous range including every value between the minimum and maximum values . described herein are devices and methods for delivering antipsychotic drugs intranasally , such as haloperidol . the antipsychotic drugs are delivered in aqueous form by a metered dose sprayer . the terms “ antipsychotic ,” “ antipsychotic agent ” and “ antipsychotic drug ,” and plurals thereof , are synonymous and denote a psychoactive drug that has the ability to calm psychotic states and make a psychotic patient more manageable . a psychotic state may be characterized by psychosis — characterized , without limitation , by gross impairment in reality testing as evidenced by delusions , hallucinations , markedly incoherent speech or disorganized and agitated behavior without apparent awareness on the part of the patient of the incomprehensibility of his behavior . antipsychotic drugs also are commonly referred to as neuroleptics or neuroleptic drugs . classes of antipsychotic drugs include butyrophenones , of which haloperidol is the most prominent member , but also include , without limitation , benperidol , droperidol , fluanisone , haloperidol decanoate , moperone chlorohydrate , pipamperone dichlorohydrate and trifluperidol chlorohydrate ; phenothiazines , such as chlorpromazine , prochlorperazine , fluphenazine , trifluoperazine , perphenazine , acetophenazine , carphenazine , triflupromazine , mesoridazine and thioridazine ; thiozanthenes , such as thiothixene and chlorprothixene ; miscellaneous antipsychotics , such as loxapine , molindone and pimozide ; and “ new generation ” or “ atypical ” antipsychotics , such as clozapine , risperidone , olanzapine , sulpiride , amisulpride , remoxipride and setindole . of these , haloperidol is preferred in many instances due to its broad acceptance , as indicated above . other antipsychotics might be preferred in certain instances for any number of reasons , including cost , patient tolerance and efficacy , the degree of sedation caused by the drug , autonomic side effects , such as dry mouth , blurred vision , constipation , urinary retention and reduced blood pressure , and involuntary movement ( for example , parkinsonism - like tremors ) caused by the drug . antipsychotics that may be preferred for their limited sedation , autonomic side effects and / or involuntary movement include , without limitation , fluphenazine , perphenazine , thiothixenepimozide , risperidone and olanzapine . reference to any drug substance herein includes , unless specifically mentioned otherwise , pharmaceutically acceptable salts of that drug substance . for example , the term “ haloperidol ” refers both to haloperidol and to salts thereof , including , without limitation , haloperidol lactate . all described antipsychotic drugs can be formulated into a sprayable solution according to methods known in the pharmaceutical arts . an “ intranasal ” dosage form is a dosage form for delivering an active ingredient to mucosa of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx . intranasal dosage forms typically introduce particles into the nasal cavity , and the process of inhalation through the nose often is used to facilitate the delivery process . the particles typically are substantially retained in the nasal cavity and nasopharynx because : 1 ) the particles are introduced through the nose and 2 ) the particles are sufficiently large that they substantially do not travel past the nasopharynx and into the remainder of the respiratory system . this is in contrast to inhaled dosage forms in which the formulation typically is administered orally , and particle size is gauged to reach the bronchii , the bronchioli and alveoli , as is shown , for illustrative purposes only , in u . s . patent publication no . 2003 / 0017118 , in which an aerosolized antipsychotic drug is delivered by the inhalation route . a “ intranasal metered dose sprayer ” is a device for repeated delivery of defined quantities of a drug product through the intranasal route . such devices are broadly available and modes of their use are well - known in the pharmaceutical field . one example of an intranasal metered dose sprayer is described in international patent publication no . wo 02 / 13886 , designating the united states , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . the device of wo 02 / 13886 is programmable and provides individual vials for each dose . another metered dose sprayer for intranasal use for delivery of multiple single doses of a powder from a single vial is described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 055 , 979 . lastly , metered dose sprayers for intranasal use are broadly available commercially , for example , from pfeiffer gmbh of radolfzell , germany . haloperidol lactate has an accepted dosage range from about 0 . 1 mg to about 200 mg , or even higher in some cases . dosing frequency typically ranges from 1 dose per hour to one single dose that is not repeated , as is necessary and effective to manage a patient &# 39 ; s symptoms . tablet formulations available commercially include : 0 . 5 mg , 1 mg , 2 mg , 5 mg , 10 mg and 20 mg of haloperidol lactate . liquid oral formulations include 1 mg / ml and 2 mg / ml solutions of haloperidol lactate . parenteral formulations include 5 mg / ml ( haloperidol lactate ), 50 mg / ml ( haloperidol decanoate ) and 100 mg / ml ( haloperidol decanoate ) products . specific intranasal doses for haloperidol lactate include any increment ranging from 0 . 1 mg to 100 mg , including , without limitation : 0 . 5 mg , 1 mg , 2 mg , 2 . 5 mg , 5 mg , 10 mg , 20 mg , 25 mg , 50 mg and 100 mg . in formulating a suitable dosage form for intranasal spraying , the concentration of the drug in the sprayable solution typically is ten times that of an oral or injectable dose in order to achieve satisfactory doses in a typical 0 . 1 ml spray dose . thus , a typical intranasal haloperidol solution concentration for a sprayable solution can range between greater than 0 . 25 % wt . to about 10 % wt ., more typically from about 1 . 0 % wt . to about 10 % wt ., with 2 . 5 % wt . being the concentration described in the experiments , below . haloperidol lactate doses may be calculated based on the weight of the patient , for example , and without limitation , any increment in the range of from about 0 . 005 mg / kg ( weight of patient ) to about 10 mg / kg , including , without limitation , 0 . 01 mg / kg , 0 . 05 mg / kg , 0 . 1 mg / kg , 0 . 5 mg / kg , 1 . 0 mg / kg , 2 mg / kg , 5 mg / kg or 10 mg / kg . further , effective serum levels of haloperidol lactate may include any increment in the range of from about 5 mg / l to about 25 mg / l , typically ranging from about 8 mg / l to about 17 mg / l , for example , and without limitation , 8 mg / l , 10 mg / l , 12 mg / l , 15 mg / l and 18 mg / l . as used herein , in the context of a dosage range , an “ increment ” can be any value within a range that can be physically delivered in the dosage form . physical limitations of the intranasal metered dose spray device and in the ability to prepare precisely an intranasal solution with a given concentration of an antipsychotic active ingredient will limit the size of the increments , which include , without limitation , increments of 0 . 001 , 0 . 01 , 0 . 1 and 1 . 0 mg , mg / kg or mg / l , as is appropriate . dose equivalents for other antipsychotics are well established . in reference to a 2 mg dose of haloperidol lactate , table a provides non - limiting examples of dose equivalents and suitable doses for certain other antipsychotics . table a * chemical drug name dose equivalent ** dose range ( mg )** classification generic ( trade ) ( mg ) ( frequency ) phenothiazine chlorpromazine 100 10 - 100 mg ; q 4 - 8 h ( thorazine ) prochlorperazine 15 2 . 5 - 20 mg ; q 4 - 6 h ( compazine ) fluphenazine ( prolixin ) 2 0 . 25 - 10 mg ; q 6 - 8 h trifluoperazine 5 1 - 2 mg ; q 4 - 6 h ( stelazine ) perphenazine ( trilafon ) 8 4 - 16 mg ; q 6 - 12 h acetophenazine ( tindal ) 20 20 - 60 mg ; q 24 h carphenazine 25 50 - 150 mg ; q 8 - 24 h ( proketazine ) triflupromazine 25 1 - 10 mg ; q 6 - 24 h ( vesprin ) mesoridazine ( serentil ) 50 25 - 50 mg ; q 1 - 8 h thioridazine ( mellaril ) 100 50 - 100 mg ; q 6 - 12 h thioxanthine thiothixene ( navane ) 4 2 - 5 mg ; q 6 - 12 h chlorprothixene 100 10 - 50 mg ; q 6 - 8 h ( taractan ) butyrophenone haloperidol ( haldol ) 2 0 . 5 - 20 mg ; q 0 . 5 - 6 h miscellaneous loxapine ( loxitane ) 10 10 - 50 mg ; q 4 - 6 h molindone ( moban ) 10 1 - 75 mg ; q 6 - 8 h pimozide ( orap ) 2 1 - 16 mg ; q 24 h new clozapine ( clozapril ) 50 25 - 300 mg ; q 12 - 24 h generation risperidone ( risperdal ) 1 1 - 6 mg ; q 12 - 24 h olanzapine ( zyprexa ) 1 . 5 5 - 20 mg ; q 24 h sertindole ( serlect ) 5 12 - 24 mg ; q 24 h * see , for example , table 9 . 3 of julien , rm , a primer of drug action , 8 th ed ., w . h . freeman & amp ; co . ( 1998 ), p . 259 . ** dose equivalents and dose ranges are approximate . approximate clinical dose ranges and frequency of administration will differ , depending upon , without limitation , dosage form , patient status / characteristics and titration vs . maintenance . u . s . patent publication no . 2003 / 0017118 a1 is incorporated herein by reference for its teachings relating to use of various antipsychotic drugs for particulate delivery by the inhalation route and equivalent dosage ranges for those antipsychotics . dose ranges , whether expressed in terms of mg per dose , mg per kg of patient &# 39 ; s weight , or mg / l of patient &# 39 ; s serum , plasma or blood , can readily be calculated based on the ratios presented in table a , or based on any other equivalency data known in the pharmaceutical arts . in one embodiment of the intranasal dosage forms described herein , the drug is solubilized in water and the formulation therefore is described as “ aqueous ” which also includes suspensions , emulsions , liposomes , micellar systems and the like , in which the primary solvent is water . in one embodiment , haloperidol is solubilized in a solution of lactic acid . the lactic acid forms the lactate form of haloperidol and adjusts the ph to an acceptable level for intranasal administration . because haloperidol lactate currently is , for practical reasons , the antipsychotic of choice for uses described herein , use of lactic acid to adjust the ph of the haloperidol solution is preferred . other compounds can be used , as needed , to adjust , or to buffer the ph of the solution . in the case of haloperidol decanoate , which has low solubility in water , the drug product should include a suitable solubilizing compound or compounds , such as , without limitation : an oil or an ester product thereof , a triglyceride , a cyclodextrin or a surfactant . many methods for solubilizing water - insoluble drug compounds , such those as certain of the antipsychotics useful in the drug products described herein , are known in the pharmaceutical arts and are appropriate so long as bioavailability of the antipsychotic drug is sufficient for treatment of a patient and adverse reactions , such as irritation to the nasal mucosa , are minimized . in other embodiments , the antipsychotic drug is solubilized in a glycol or in another organic solvents and / or solubilization systems as are known in the pharmaceutical arts . other compounds (“ excipients ”) can be included in the formulation in a manner known in the pharmaceutical arts . excipients include : acids ; bases ; buffers ; salts ; natural and synthetic oils and esters thereof ; surfactants ; solubilizing compounds , such as cyclodextrins , triglycerides and phospholipids ; colorings ; flavorings ; sweeteners ; chelating agents ; preservatives ; and viscosity modifiers , such as thickening agents . acids , bases and buffers are collectively referred to herein as “ ph modifying agents .” suitable candidates for any of these agents also are well - known in the pharmaceutical arts . the formulation also can include a mixture of two or more antipsychotics . the formulation also can include other active ingredients . for instance , the intranasal dosage form might include an anticholinergic agent , such as , without limitation : ipratropium bromide , atropine , scopolamine hbr ( hyoscine hbr ), l - hyoscyamine ( anaspaz ), l - alkaloids of belladonna ( belafoline ), tincture of belladonna alkaloids , homatropine , homatropine methylbromide , methscopolamine ( pamine ), anisotropine ( valpin ), anisotropine with phenobarbital , clindinium ( quarzan ), glycopyrrolate ( robinul ), hexocyclim ( tral ), isopropamide ( darbid ), mepenzolate ( cantil ), methantheline ( banthine ), oxyphencyclimine ( daricon ), propantheline ( pro - banthine ), tridihexethyl ( pathilon ), dicyclomine ( bentyl ), cyclopentolate ( cyclogyl ), tropicamide ( mydriacyl ), trihexyphenidyl ( artane ), benztropine ( cogentin ), orphenadrine hcl ( disipal ), ethopropazine ( parsidol ), diphenhydramine ( benadryl ), cycrimine ( pagitane ), biperiden ( akineton ) benztropine , benzhezol , procyclidine and orphenadrine to reduce extrapyramidal symptoms . an intranasal drug product containing haloperidol is manufactured according to the following protocol . 1 . 18 grams of 85 % usp lactic acid is added to approximately 50 g water for injection , usp and mixed . 2 . 5 grams of haloperidol is slowly added to the lactic acid solution while mixing until the haloperidol is completely dissolved . the solution is then brought to a volume of 100 ml , and is then filtered ( 22μ ) and autoclaved . the solution then is dispensed in appropriate amounts into an intranasal metered dose sprayer to deliver a desired dose of haloperidol , such as 100 μl ( 2 . 5 mg ). for any metered dose sprayer , such as that of international patent publication wo 02 / 13886 , the amount dispensed is that dosage amount plus a residual volume of solution that cannot be dispensed by the delivery device . additional intranasal formulations may be prepared as follows . table b provides suitable ranges for these additional products . table b additional antipsychotic compounds and ranges . concentration range for drug dosage range drug substance product ( mg / ml ) ( per dose ) excipient haloperidol 10 to 100 0 . 5 mg to 100 mg lactic acid risperidone * 1 to 200 0 . 1 to 20 olanzapine * 50 to 200 5 to 20 * in a mildly acidic aqueous system or a non - aqueous system additional ingredients may be added to the formulations described above , including , sweeteners , flavors , colorings , buffers , salts , chelating agents , preservatives , and viscosity modifiers . bioavailability study comparing intranasal , intramuscular and intravenous administration of haloperidol lactate the following compares the bioavailability of 2 . 5 mg haloperidol delivered intranasally , intramuscularly and intravenously . the intranasal dosage form is described in examples 1 and 2 , above . one spray containing 2 . 5 mg haloperidol in 100 μl was administered to one nostril for each patient . the intramuscular dose was given as a single injection of 0 . 5 ml of a 5 . 0 mg / ml solution of haloperidol lactate ( haloperidol injection ( 5 . 0 mg / ml ) by ortho - mcneil ). the intravenous dose was prepared by diluting 0 . 5 ml of a 5 . 0 mg / ml solution of haloperidol lactate in d 5 w ( 5 % dextrose in water ) and was infused over 15 minutes . the pharmacokinetic results of the study are as follows . the mean ( n = 4 ; 2 male , 2 female ) plasma concentration versus time curve profiles over the first 4 hours is shown in fig1 . this figure shows that absorption of haloperidol following intranasal administration was very rapid . haloperidol concentrations reached a peak in one subject at 7 . 5 minutes , in two individuals at 15 minutes , and at 30 minutes for the last subject . table c summarizes pharmacokinetic data for the three treatments . median t max values were 15 and 37 . 5 minutes for the intranasal and intramuscular doses , respectively . one subject had an unexpected t max of 16 hours following a gradual increase in plasma concentration over time after intramuscular administration . c max values after the intranasal dose were slightly higher than values obtained after the intramuscular dose and occurred consistently earlier . one subject had a c max of 16 . 2 ng / ml following intranasal administration . the other subjects had c max values between 7 . 5 - 7 . 9 ng / ml after intranasal delivery . relative bioavailability of the intramuscular dose to intranasal dose was on average 48 . 6 %. the absolute bioavailability of haloperidol by the intranasal and intramuscular routes was 63 . 8 % and 134 . 5 %, respectively . clearance terms were comparable between the administration routes . intravenous and intranasal had similar half - lives . table c mean ( cv as a %) single dose haloperidol lactate pharmacokinetic ( pk ) parameters following administration of 2 . 5 mg intravenous , intramuscular , and intranasal haloperidol lactate in healthy subjects ( n = 4 ). iv im in pk parameter ( 2 . 5 mg ) ( 2 . 5 mg ) ( 2 . 5 mg ) t max ( h )* 0 . 25 ( 0 . 25 - 0 . 25 ) 0 . 625 ( 0 . 25 - 16 ) 0 . 25 ( 0 . 12 - 0 . 5 ) c max ( ng / ml ) 23 . 3 ( 65 . 37 ) 8 . 42 ( 91 . 41 ) 9 . 8 ( 43 . 57 ) t 1 / 2 ( h ) 17 . 1 ( 45 . 5 ) 28 . 8 ( 19 . 1 ) 16 . 9 ( 45 . 0 ) auc 0 - t 50 . 77 ( 16 . 78 ) 59 . 69 ( 29 . 65 ) 31 . 67 ( 14 . 84 ) ( ng · h / ml ) auc 0 -∞ 60 . 4 ( 15 . 6 ) 81 . 8 ( 26 . 7 ) 37 . 9 ( 21 . 5 ) ( ng · h / ml ) mrt ( h ) 12 . 7 ( 29 . 6 ) 16 . 1 ( 35 . 3 ) 12 . 9 ( 22 . 7 ) cl / f or cl ss / 42 . 1 ( 15 . 5 ) 32 . 8 ( 33 . 9 ) 68 . 3 ( 20 . 3 ) f ( l / h ) v ss ( l ) 934 . 0 ( 44 . 9 ) — — v z / f ( l ) 1069 ( 51 . 5 ) 1356 ( 38 . 7 ) 1575 ( 39 . 4 ) f (%) assume 100 % 134 . 5 ( 20 . 8 ) 63 . 8 ( 24 . 4 ) relative f — — 48 . 6 ( 29 . 4 ) ( im / in ) (%) * median and range given for t max thus , this pilot study demonstrated that haloperidol is bioavailable by this route in clinically meaningful concentrations . these data demonstrate that haloperidol lactate is effectively delivered through the intranasal route , thus providing a safe and non - threatening alternative to injection or inhalation of haloperidol . whereas particular embodiments of the invention have been described herein for the purpose of illustrating the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous variations of the details , materials and arrangement of parts may be made within the principle and scope of the invention without departing from the invention as described in the appended claims .
an intranasal drug product is provided including an antipsychotic drug , such as haloperidol , in sprayable solution in an intranasal metered dose sprayer . also provided is a method of administering an antipsychotic drug , such as haloperidol , to a patient , including the step of delivering an effective amount of the antipsychotic drug to a patient intranasally using an intranasal metered dose sprayer . a method of treating a psychotic episode also is provided , the method including the step of delivering an antipsychotic drug , such as haloperidol , intranasally in an amount effective to control the psychotic episode .