Inhaler provides quick symptom relief for asthma patients Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can cause as much climate-warming pollution and damage to the planet as more than 500,000 cars each year.
Researchers reported in a new study in JAMA that inhalers produced more than 2 million tons of harmful substances. carbon emissions Emissions each year over the past 10 years have been equivalent to the emissions of approximately 530,000 gasoline-powered cars per year.
This study analyzed emissions from three different exhaust gases. Types of inhalers Approved for asthma or COPD from 2014 to 2024, metered dose inhalers were found to be the most harmful to the environment.
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Researchers claim metered dose inhaleruses hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants, powerful greenhouse gases used in aerosol sprays, which accounted for 98 percent of emissions during the decade.
Other inhalers, such as dry powder inhalers and soft mist inhalers, deliver medication without propellants and have a much smaller environmental footprint.
Some companies, such as AstraZeneca, are already working to transition from pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) to propellants that use significantly less. Possibility of global war.
Dr. William Feldman, lead author of the study and a pulmonologist and health services researcher at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, said inhalers put patients with chronic respiratory illnesses at risk.
“On the positive side, there is a huge opportunity to make changes that protect both patients and the planet by leveraging low-emission alternatives,” Feldman said in a UCLA news release.
To conduct their analysis, the researchers utilized a comprehensive national database of inhaler prescriptions at the National Drug Code (NDC) level.
Emissions were then estimated using validated academic research and analyzed by drug type, device type, propellant type, therapeutic class, brand status, manufacturer, payer, and pharmacy benefit manager.
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The research team plans to expand the study to evaluate inhaler emissions in specific patient groups, such as Medicaid recipients, and to compare clinical outcomes for low-emission and high-emission inhalers in the same therapeutic class.
We will also investigate how pricing and patent strategies shape the deployment of new low-emission inhaler technologies.
“A critical first step in driving change is understanding the true scale of the problem,” Feldman said. “From there, we can identify what is driving these emissions and develop targeted strategies to reduce them, benefiting both patients and the environment.”
