Bespak has shared its recent progress in the building of its novel pMDI facility with the arrival of its new commercial filling equipment on site.
The company will also expand further, with an additional commercial filling line to be installed in the future.
These expansions will bolster Bespak’s ability to provide customers with access to manufacturing capacity for pMDI products with low global warming potential (GWP). Reflecting this high demand, capacity for the newly delivered line has already been fully reserved.
Bespak will be opening capacity reservations for the new line in the coming weeks.
The importance of green propellants
Over recent years, pharmaceutical companies have worked to replace the propellants used in their pMDIs due to the environmental impact of previous solutions.
Regulations around the use of environmentally damaging propellants have tightened, with the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol resulting in the need to reduce the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Additionally, a need to improve the sustainability of the pharmaceutical industry has meant that individual companies need to reduce their emissions, as current HFC-based propellant emissions can represent a significant proportion of an individual pharmaceutical company’s carbon footprint.
The manufacturing lines
Bespak is the first CDMO to manufacture pMDIs with HFO-1234ze — a near-zero GWP propellant — at commercial scale.
The lines from DH Industries (Pamasol) will expand the capacity at its Holmes Chapel site and will be capable of manufacturing with both HFA-152a and HFO-1234ze; the two new climate-friendly propellants.
This means that customers have access to both types of currently available green propellants, supporting their transition needs and multiple types of pMDIs for the benefit of patients.
Business Development Director at Bespak, Simon Gardner commented: “The transition to low GWP propellants is accelerating, and this is creating a major gap between demand and the available capacity for low-GWP pMDI filling — placing increasing pressure on global pMDI supple chains. It appears likely that some companies will find it hard to meet their transition timelines as the capacity that is currently available is taken up. At Bespak we recognise this, and our focus is to support the transition of as many pMDI formulations as possible; ensuring essential pMDI products remain available for patients.”