Orbia has announced the delivery of 17 tonnes of Koura Global’s Zephex 152a (HFA-152a), an LGWP propellant, to Kindeva Drug Delivery‘s facility in Loughborough, UK where the CDMO has MDI manufacturing lines for LGWP propellants. Kindeva and Koura announced a partnership for conversion of an existing MDI to HFA-152a in December 2023.
The Zephex 152a delivered in the ISO tank was manufactured in a small-scale facility that was opened in 2022, Orbia said. In December 2024, Orbia announced plans for a commercial-scale Zephex 152a manufacturing facility, and the company now says that it “aims to complete” that plant by the end of 2026.
Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials Head of Pharmaceutical Business Unit Markus Laubscher commented, “Today’s announcement is a landmark moment, not just for Orbia and Kindeva, but for the entire respiratory pharmaceutical industry. For 30 years our Zephex medical propellants have set the global standard for high-purity, high performance, and a reliable supply that has met the existing needs of patients worldwide. Our priority is to now accelerate the scale-up of Zephex 152a, which will meet the future needs of our customers and the wider industry, while reducing the environmental impact.
Kindeva Senior VP, MDI, Craig Sommerville said, “The arrival of the first ISO tank of Zephex 152a at our new Loughborough facility represents a defining milestone in Kindeva’s mission to accelerate the transition to next-generation propellants. This achievement reflects the power of our collaboration with Orbia. It underscores our unwavering commitment to advancing technologies that both safeguard the environment and deliver dependable treatment options for patients worldwide. As the first CDMO to manufacture commercial-scale MDIs using Zephex 152a, we are proud to be leading the charge in creating a more sustainable future for respiratory care.”
Read the Orbia Fluor press release
