Fireside Chat
Formulation and Delivery
of Spray Dried Biologics
for Pulmonary Dosage Forms.
Thursday 5th February 2026
Session Overview:
Join us for an insightful conversation on how spray drying is enabling the development of biologics for pulmonary delivery. This session will explore the science behind spray drying, its role in creating inhalable formulations, and the unique challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving space.
We’ll kick things off by looking at the fundamentals of pharmaceutical spray drying, how the process works, and why it’s so widely used in drug product development. From there, we’ll dive into pulmonary dosage forms, such as dry powder inhalers and soft mist formulations, and discuss what makes them ideal for certain biologics.
Next, we’ll explore the complexities of spray-drying biologics for inhalation. How do we maintain stability and ensure the right particle size for deep lung delivery? What hurdles do formulators face, and what strategies are emerging to overcome them? Finally, we’ll talk about testing and characterization including how do we confirm that these spray-dried biologics are safe, effective, and ready for clinical use?
Speakers:
Dr. Richard Johnson
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr Richard Johnson is the Founding Director and Chief Scientific Officer at Upperton Pharma Solutions, a UK-based Contract, Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) and graduated from Warwick University with a PhD Biochemistry. In 1994 he was part of a management buy-out team that founded Andaris Ltd, a research and development company exploiting the use of spray drying technology in the fields of diagnostic imaging and drug delivery. In 1999, Dr Johnson founded Upperton and has overseen significant growth and expansion over the past 25 years, specialising in spray drying and nasal drug development.
Shailesh Mistry
Development Manager
Shailesh is an experienced pharmaceutical scientist specialising in drug formulation and delivery systems focusing on orally inhaled and nasal drug products (OINDPs), spray drying, amorphous solid dispersions, and particle engineering. His expertise spans analytical chemistry, device technologies, and packaging solutions.
With over two decades in the industry, Shailesh has held senior roles at a variety of pharmaceutical companies building a strong foundation in analytical and inhalation sciences. Shailesh holds a BSc (Hons) in Medical Science from the University of Birmingham and is recognised for his technical leadership and problem-solving in pharmaceutical formulation.