Recipharm has partnered with Oz-UK to develop and manufacture green pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs).
As per the agreement, the pMDIs will use valves and actuators from contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Recipharm’s brand Bespak will develop a new generation of low global warming potential (GWP) inhalers.
The partnership aims to replace global warming potential propellants with environmentally friendly propellants by developing green pMDIs. Recipharm plans to use HFA-152a, a sustainable medical propellant which significantly reduces the device’s overall carbon footprint and is in the process of being approved for use in pMDIs.
“OZ-UK is an early-stage formulation and development laboratory, while Recipharm brings the ability to scale up to clinical and commercial supply of greener pMDIs. OZ-UK has invested and received public funding towards its facilities to enable it to serve customers in the early stages of transition, whereas Recipharm have invested significantly in large commercial scale compatibility and hence the collaboration is complimentary,” a spokesperson for Recipharm told Clinical Insider.
According to both parties, the collaboration will enable clients to accelerate their transition to low-GWP propellants, moving swiftly through feasibility and development into clinical supply phase.
New legislations are pushing for HFC propellants to be phased out due to their high GWP to lower the carbon footprint. Green pMDIs are being reviewed in trials and use new generation propellants that will offer a 90-99% reduction in GWP compared to existing HFC propellants.
To lead the transition to greener propellants for customers, Recipharm has appointed Simon Gardner as business development specialist for pMDIs. Gardner joins from Koura and brings over 20 years of experience in the medical propellant industry to the role.
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