Pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) are essential medical devices for patients with asthma and COPD, but there is growing concern about the carbon footprint these treatments place on the environment. Dr David Lewis, director of Aerosol Research, Chiesi, assesses the situation.
Inhaler
Pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) have long been the major treatment of choice for treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the effect of pMDI propellants on the environment is the subject of ongoing governmental and industrial debate. The ban of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in 1996 due to the substance’s role in the depletion of the ozone layer led to the redesign of pMDIs and the development of hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) as a new propellant. Now, however, there is building evidence that HFAs, namely the widely-used HFA-134a, have high global warming potential, and are being targeted for regulatory reform.