Industry News
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An estimated two-thirds of all valves for use with HFA are from Bespak. |
A supplier of inhalation devices for drug delivery has commissioned an elastomer-manufacturing facility at its King’s Lynn site in Norfolk, UK. The result of a six-year investment strategy, the facility will enable Bespak (Milton Keynes, UK) to produce and finish specialized elastomers in-house. Additionally, the plant will facilitate elastomer research, allowing the company to tailor materials for use with specific drug formulations.
At the facility, elastomers will be produced that are critical for the company’s pressurized-metered-dose-inhaler (pMDI) valves. Used to treat asthma, pMDIs deliver an estimated 50 billion drug doses annually by means of an aerosol propellant. Because of a loophole in the Montreal Protocol for essential medical devices, pMDIs were originally permitted to use CFCs as a propellant. After an international phase-out of CFC began in 2002, Bespak started using ozone-friendly hydrofluoroalkane-based propellant. As one of the first companies to use HFA as a CFC replacement, Bespak’s development of HFA-compatible valves was honoured in 2005 with Frost & Sullivan’s technology innovation award. “Cleaner, more effective elastomers are a critical component in the continued success of Bespak,” explains Modestion Graziano, business programme manager. “Our new facility not only enables us to continue our development work, but also offers additional capacity and better control.”
“This facility will create a unique point of difference for Bespak,” says Chris Hall, general manager for the company’s respiratory division. “We will offer a truly end-to-end capability in the development of pMDI valves.”
The company’s new plant will begin production in the second quarter of 2006.
Bespak Applauds Approval of Inhalable Insulin
Millions of diabetics worldwide cheered the news in late January when Pfizer Inc. received approval for its inhaled insulin treatment from EU and US regulators. The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm at Bespak, as well. The firm developed the manufacturing process for the inhaler in conjunction with Nektar Therapeutics (San Carlos, CA, USA), which invented the drug and licensed it to Pfizer, and will manufacture the device.
Pfizer’s Exubera is the first noninjectable form of insulin to be approved for use since the drug’s discovery in the 1920s. It is designed for the treatment of adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and could reduce or eliminate the need for before-meal insulin shots. Some experts predict that the inhalable insulin will join the ranks of blockbuster drugs, eventually reaching sales of US$1 billion per year.
For more information, contact Bespak, Blackhill Dr., Wolverton Mill South, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK12 5TS, UK; phone: +44 1908 525201; fax: +44 1908 552613; email: bizdev@bespak.co.uk; Internet: www.bespak.com.
