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A Sustainability Roadmap for Inhalation Products

Anderson GJ.

Respiratory Drug Delivery 2023. Volume , 2023: 35-48.

Abstract:

A sustainability roadmap for respiratory disease management is needed to enable the inhalation sector to drive inhaled platforms towards being ‘net zero’. Lower global warming potential (GWP) propellants are a considerable step forward in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reduction. However, there is much more opportunity to continue to reduce the environmental impact of these important medicines that enable patients to effectively manage their respiratory diseases. Balancing regulatory, patient and performance demands with devices (and packaging) sustainability will require a range of solutions. These options when integrated can enable both a positive and cumulative reduction of CO2e and reduce waste across the whole end-to-end respiratory supply chain. Areas of focus in the roadmap include adherence/training aids, design for sustainability, recycling, material use (including bioplastics), correct use of standards (such as Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)), supply chains, partnerships, etc.

The paper sets out the advantages of the industry having an aligned sustainability roadmap and the intent is that this should be one that all stakeholders would come together on and use as a lever to reach a common goal, to enable a CO2e net zero inhaler industry. This target is a challenging one, and one that will require considerable collaboration, but ultimately it is all about doing the right thing, for the industry, for patients, for payors and for the future of the planet. The roadmap includes all inhaled platforms and leverages current (and heritage) improvements. The inhalation industry has a responsibility to ensure that these valuable inhalation medicines are not part of the global warming problem and that ultimately inhalers become more sustainable.

Opportunities and challenges exist for the inhalation industry to minimize our carbon footprint and reduce our overall environmental impact. Inhalation products currently follow a linear economy (‘take, make, dispose’) but there may be an opportunity to transform to a circular economy aimed at eliminating waste and continually using resources effectively and efficiently.

With a range of different complex device platforms used in inhalation there is no single solution that mitigates the impact that inhalers have on the environment, but there are some real deliverable initiatives that the industry must undertake to ensure credibility with our healthcare providers, stakeholders, and patients. This must be done as a wider industry drive; it will take time and it will take a concentrated and aligned effort. Payors are now expecting suppliers to be part of their net zero targets so resolving these sustainability challenges is vital to remain competitive. Sustainability is a part of ongoing tendering and payors are driving real change in device choice. As an example of this, the National Health Service (NHS) is expecting LCA data for products it procures and this is then used to measure its own carbon footprint and planned carbon reductions are part of any request for quotation (RFQ).