Boehringer to increase production of Respimat inhaler
pharmafile | October 30, 2012 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | Boehringer Ingelheim, Respimat SMI, Soft Mist
Boehringer Ingelheim is investing €85 million in manufacturing capacity for its Respimat Soft Mist Inhaler in the face of growing demand for the products based on the device.
The Respimat SMI – first introduced in 2003 – is a propellant-free atomiser that delivers drugs in easy-to-inhale droplets and is the delivery device for Boehringer’s own Spiriva (tiotropium) drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as other respiratory products.
Respimat SMI is made at Boehringer Ingelheim microParts’ facility in Dortmund, Germany, and the company says it wants to double production capacity for the device to 44 million units a year by 2015.
“What is special about the Respimat inhaler is its finely dispersed mist, that makes it possible to reliably and efficiently introduce and distribute active agents in various dosages to the lungs,” said Wolfram Carias, a member of the board of managing directors at Boehringer.
The investment in the new production capacity is being driven by growth in sales of Spiriva Respimat, as well as a switchover from older COPD drug Combivent (ipratropium bromide plus salbutamol) from a metered dose inhaler (MD) device to Respimat in the US following its approval there just over a year ago, said Carias.
The new device is also being used in a number of the company’s pipeline projects, including once-daily bronchodilator olodaterol – which recently cleared a Phase II trial – and fixed-dose combination of olodaterol and tiotropium which is tipped to reach the market in 2014.
“We expect a significant increase in revenue from the Respimat business,” he said. At the moment around 450 workers are employed at microParts in Dortmund to make the inhaler, and the company expects the investment to create a further 100 new jobs.
Spiriva Respimat was the subject of a safety scare last year when a British Medical Journal (BMJ) article suggested there was an increased risk of the death in COPD patients treated with the new version, compared to Boehringer’s older HandiHaler MDI product.
The firm has always insisted that the findings of the study were without merit and there is no increased risk of mortality with the Respimat device.
Phil Taylor
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