Testing Nasal Spray Market: SPI Pharmaceuticals Inc....

Testing Nasal Spray Market: SPI Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday that it will begin selling a calcium-saving nasal spray in Spain and, if successful, market it elsewhere.

The drug, calcitonin, slows or stops calcium loss from the bones, SPI spokesman Paul Knopick said. It is used by patients threatened by osteoporosis, a debilitating bone disease.

Calcitonin, a hormone that is manufactured by other pharmaceutical companies as well as by SPI, is usually administered by injection, Knopick said. The nasal application “is a new way to administer the product,” he said.

“We anticipate that, if successful in Spain, it will be used in other countries,” he said.

The product will be manufactured and distributed under the name Calcitonina by SPI’s Barcelona facility, Knopick said. It will be sold through prescription. SPI is based in Costa Mesa.