AstraZeneca Progresses Ambition Zero Carbon Program with Honeywell Partnership to Develop Next-Generation Respiratory Inhalers

AstraZeneca and Honeywell will partner to develop next-generation respiratory inhalers using the propellant HFO-1234ze, which has up to 99.9% less Global Warming Potential (GWP) than currently used respiratory medicine propellants, AstraZeneca announced on Feb. 22, 2022.

Patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often need inhaled medicines, many of which are pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs). In many of these medicines a propellant, which contains small amounts of a type of greenhouse gas (GHG), is used to deliver the medicine into the lungs. According to the press release, respiratory diseases affect hundreds of millions of people around the world, creating a significant clinical need for pMDIs, which are important device options for patients.

AstraZeneca’s integration of their near-zero GWP propellant HFO-1234ze is intended to reduce respiratory healthcare carbon emissions without restricting patient choice or risking improvement in health outcomes.

This development of next-generation respiratory inhalers is part of AstraZeneca’s flagship sustainability program, Ambition Zero Carbon. The company also announced that the entirety of its imported electricity now comes from renewable sources, and that the company has achieved a 59% reduction in it5s Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2015.

"We are making great progress on our ambition to be zero carbon across our global operations by the end of 2025 and carbon negative across our entire value chain by 2030,” said Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, in the press release. “Our collaboration with Honeywell demonstrates AstraZeneca’s commitment to advancing sustainable healthcare innovation, with the aim of improving outcomes for patients while reducing our environmental footprint.”

Source: AstraZeneca