Lupin Healthcare announces availability of the first carbon neutral pMDI with Luforbec® 100/6 (beclometasone 100 mcg / formoterol 6 mcg) and establishes their commitment to supporting the NHS green agenda

Lupin Healthcare announces availability of the first carbon neutral pMDI with Luforbec^® 100/6 (beclometasone 100 mcg / formoterol 6 mcg) and establishes their commitment to supporting the NHS green agenda[1]

Lupin Healthcare addresses the growing urgency of reducing carbon emissions whilst offering cost savings for the NHS

Slough, UK, May 13, 2022: Lupin Healthcare, the UK-based wholly owned subsidiary of Lupin Limited (Lupin) today announced that Luforbec (beclomethasone / formoterol) 100/6 pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) for the treatment of adult asthma and symptomatic treatment of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (FEV1 <50% predicted normal) is carbon neutral certified.¹ 

A cradle to grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been completed by Carbon Footprint Ltd to quantify the carbon footprint of Luforbec. This assessment included the manufacture, distribution, use and disposal of the product.  Lupin Healthcare has offset all carbon emissions associated with this inhaler, which was comparable to that of Fostair 100/6 pMDI, enabling Luforbec 100/6 pMDI to become the first carbon neutral pMDI available in the UK market.¹ This marks an important milestone in Lupin Healthcare’s journey to a sustainable future.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) highlights that some inhalers have a much higher carbon footprint than others, yet recommends patients should be able to choose the inhaler they find easiest to use.^[2]  It is important to prescribe the right treatment for the right patient to ensure their condition is well managed. Carbon neutral Luforbec will allow those patients optimally managed on a pMDI to use an inhaler with both a neutral carbon footprint alongside potential cost savings to the NHS. Prescribing Luforbec 100/6 pMDI by brand can release NHS list price savings of 30% vs Fostair^® 100/6 pMDI.[3]^,[4]  These savings are equivalent to £8.80 per pack.[5]  

In the UK, around 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma, and an estimated 1.2 million people are living with COPD.[6]^,[7]  Across England, Wales and Scotland 61.1 million inhaler items are prescribed annually with a total carbon footprint of 1.3 billion kg of CO₂e.[8]

“Achieving carbon neutrality for Luforbec through Lupin Healthcare’s carbon offsetting programme directly signals our dedication to supporting the NHS Green Agenda by providing healthcare professionals and their patients with a sustainable and cost-effective pMDI treatment option from today. We understand the urgency and scale of NHS environmental sustainability requires ongoing effort and constant innovation and this is the first step for Lupin Healthcare UK as we continue our journey towards net zero,” said Ben Ellis, General Manager, Lupin Healthcare UK.

In October 2020, NHS England and NHS mprovement (NHSE&I) approved an ambitious new strategy to become the world’s first national health service to agree net zero emissions commitments as part of the global effort to tackle climate change[9]. Lupin Healthcare is supporting this ambition by not only reducing its respiratory carbon footprint and achieving carbon neutral certification for Luforbec but also committed to greener technologies for its inhalation portfolio. In addition to focusing on Luforbec, Lupin Healthcare is assessing its carbon footprint as an organisation in order to effectively plan the reduction of its emissions.

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References:

[1] Certification of carbon neutrality for Luforbec pMDI. Data on file.

[2] NICE Patient Decision Aid, Inhalers for asthma (2020). Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng80/resources/inhalers-for-asthma-patient-decision-aid-pdf-6727144573. Accessed May 2022

[3] NHS BSA. May 2022 Drug Tariff. https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/pharmacies-gp-practices-and-appliance-contractors/drug-tariff. Accessed May 2022

[4] General Practice Prescribing Data Feb 2021 – Jan 2022. This public sector information is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3). Accessed May 2022.

[5] BNF. Beclometasone with formoterol. Medical forms. https://bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-forms/beclometasone-with-formoterol.html. Accessed May 2022

[6] Asthma UK. Understanding Asthma. https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/understanding-asthma/what-is-asthma/. Accessed May 2022

[7] British Lung Foundation. Our COPD research. https://www.blf.org.uk/research/our-impact/our-copd-research. Accessed May 2022

[8] NHS PrescQIPP Inhaler Carbon Footprint. https://www.prescqipp.info/umbraco/surface/authorisedmediasurface/index?url=%2fmedia%2f5719%2f295-inhaler-carbon-footprint-22.pdf Accessed May 2022

[9] NHS Delivering Net Zero Health Service https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2020/10/delivering-a-net-zero-national-health-service.pdf Accessed May 2022

[10] Luforbec 100/6 pMDI SmPC https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/12639/smpc Accessed May 2022

[11] Lupin Quarter 3 FY2021 Results https://www.lupin.com/portfolio/lupin-quarter-iii-fy2021-results. Accessed May 2022

[12] Climate Change Act 2008: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/section/1 Accessed May 2022