Aumônier S1, Mezzi K2 Whiting A1 & Fulford B2
1 ERM, Eaton House, Wallbrook Court, North Hinksey Lane, Oxford, OX2 0QS, UK
2 Novartis Pharma AG, Novartis Campus, Basel, Switzerland
Summary
Inhalers have a significant contribution to the carbon footprint (CFP) of healthcare. Novartis is committed to reduce the environmental impact of its product and in line with this commitment, the Breezhaler® device is available as a hydrofluoroalkane/chlorofluorocarbon–free dry powder inhaler for delivery of asthma medications.
This paper presents the findings of the cradle-to-grave CFP studies of two Breezhaler® inhaled combinations (indacaterol acetate/mometasone furoate [IND/MF] and IND/glycopyrronium bromide/MF [IND/GLY/MF]) from Italy and Spain; additionally, a conservative estimate, which can be used as a reliable proxy for CFP of Breezhaler® in other countries, is also reported. The Breezhaler® combinations assessed were IND/MF (30-day pack, without digital companion), IND/GLY/MF (30-day packs, with and without digital companion) and IND/GLY/MF (90-day pack, without digital companion).
The Breezhaler® combination of IND/GLY/MF (without digital companion) has the lowest CFP among all the combinations evaluated. Similar CFP estimates were reported for all the Breezhaler® portfolio products in the most conservative estimate and the countries evaluated.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients, inhaler production energy and packaging are the main contributors to the CFP; for IND/GLY/MF, 30-day pack with digital companion, the raw materials of the digital companion have the highest contribution. Excipients, distribution, and end-of-life stages all make minimal contributions to the CFP of Breezhaler® products.
Overall, the low CFP of the Breezhaler® portfolio (which has fixed dose combinations of IND/MF and IND/GLY/MF) is not influenced by geography and the findings from Italy, Spain and the conservative estimates are all consistent with the published literature from other countries.
Key Message
The Breezhaler® portfolio (which has fixed dose combinations of IND/MF and IND/GLY/MF) has a low carbon footprint (CFP) across the world. Even at the most conservative estimate, the CFP of Breezhaler® is low and consistent with footprints of countries evaluated in this study (Italy and Spain) and in previous studies (France, Germany, Japan, and UK).