Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1509606
In this opinion article, Inhalation talks with Alex Wilkinson and Gregor Anderson about aspects of a potential sustainability roadmap for inhalation platforms that could lead to reaching the UK’s National Health Service net zero goal. They believe that while new propellants are a major step forward, much more work must be done to meet this challenge. Inhalation OctOber 2023 27 Point of view: A proposed roadmap for sustainable inhaler use in the UK that could support the NHS net zero ambition A conversation with Alex Wilkinson and Gregor Anderson about a multi-faceted program aimed at developing sustainability and circularity for inhalers Alex Wilkinson BM BCh, a and Gregor Anderson MSc, b a East and North Herts NHS Trust, Stevenage, UK b Pharmacentric Solutions, Ltd. In this opinion article, Inhalation talks with Alex Wilkinson and Gregor Anderson about aspects of a potential sustainability roadmap for inhalation plat- forms that could lead to reaching the UK's National Health Service net zero goal. Alex Wilkinson is an NHS consultant in respira- tory medicine with a specialist interest in sustainable respiratory care. He serves on sustainability com- mittees with the British oracic Society and NHS England inhalers working group. He is a member of the United Nations Medical Technical Chemical Options Committee as an expert on inhalers and has published widely on this topic. Gregor Anderson founded Pharmacentric Solutions, Ltd. in 2017 and provides consultant services for the pharma Industry. Prior to this, Gregor was Design Director at GSK, working as a device and packaging specialist with over 35 years of experience and is a named inventor on more than 60 patents. He has presented widely on topics such as digital, sustain- ability, patient-centric design and road mapping. He also authored the UK Pharma road map for the Med- icines Manufacturing Industry Partnership in 2017. Vicki Schuman, Editor and Publisher, Inhalation: Gregor and Alex, please begin by giving us some context. Gregor and Alex: With the world facing an environ- mental crisis from human-derived global warming, every industry must meet increasing demands from governments, regulators, payors and customers. e inhalation industry is no different and has an account- ability to reduce its carbon footprint. With an esti- mated 262 million people suffering from asthma and 212 million suffering from chronic obstructive pul- monary disease (COPD) globally [1], the volume of inhalers used is in the billions. e resultant environ- mental impact of inhalers is substantial. For instance, metered dose inhalers (MDIs) prescribed within the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) account for approximately 3.5% of the NHS total carbon footprint [2]. In addition, the NHS has set forward-looking targets to reach "net zero" by 2040. Beginning in April 2027, all NHS suppliers will have to publicly announce their carbon reduction plans that align with the NHS's net zero target. Inhalation: Then what is a "roadmap?" Gregor: A roadmap sets out challenges and oppor- tunities, essentially making a series of aligned recom- mendations, defining why something must be done,