In May 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the world’s first low carbon pressurised Metered Dose Inhaler (pMDI). For an industry that had been discussing the green transition for the better part of a decade, it was a meaningful moment. It was also just a start.
With the first approval in hand, attention has turned to what comes next. At Bespak, we are a specialist inhalation Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) focused exclusively on inhaled and nasal drug delivery. In this expert roundtable, five of our specialists examine the formulation, manufacturing, hardware and sustainability challenges that stand between first approval and full industry transition.
Meet the panel
• Adam Kite, Commercial Director.
• Ross Errington, Head of Drug Product Development.
• Nick Atkinson, Portfolio Manager for Strategic Engineering Projects.
• Tony Mallett, Platform Development Group Manager.
• Benedicta A. Bakpa, Head of ESG
THE VIEW FROM THE PANEL
The industry has been talking about the low carbon pMDI transition for years. From your point of view, what has changed, and what has taken longer than expected?
Adam Kite: Market forces are actively reshaping the competitive landscape tightening HFC supply and rising costs make the direction clear. What has taken longer is commitment from companies at the midmarket level, despite major players already approaching approval.
Ross Errington: It has taken longer than expected for companies to decide. Propellant cost and uncertainty around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulation remain top concerns even as some of the biggest players are already at or near market with their first low carbon products.
Nick Atkinson: Talk has given way to action. The MHRA’s approval of the first low carbon pMDI in May 2025 is the industry’s first real proof point. That further approvals haven’t followed quickly is its own indicator of the complexity involved.
Tony Mallett: The market is definitively starting to shift. What has taken longer is the volume of new filings that still take the HFA-134a bridging route first, which adds time before a full transition is complete. Benedicta A. Bakpa: The level of commitment has changed: investment has moved from pilots into real programmes. The transition is taking longer because it is a system change, not a component swap – customers increasingly want to understand the full product carbon footprint, not just whether a low GWP propellant has been adopted.
