Boehringer Ingelheim Expands Respimat Production For Respiratory Medications
By Cyndi Root
Boehringer Ingelheim is expanding its Dortmund, Germany site to increase Respimat inhaler production capacity for its respiratory medications. The move, announced in a press release, will increase production to 44 million units per year for the device that administers Combivent, Spiriva, and Striverdi for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drugs. Dr. Wolfgang Baiker, of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Board of Managing Directors, said, “The Respimat inhaler will also, in the future, be the inhalation device for applying our respiratory medications.”
Dortmund Expansion
Boehringer Ingelheim’s Dortmund site is called Boehringer Ingelheim microParts GmbH. The facility has grown since 1994 from 40 employees to 505. The €100 million ($126 million) expansion will add another 100 employees. The facility currently manufactures 20 million inhalers exclusively for the company’s medications, and it seeks to increase production to 44 million annually. Production consists of plastic injection molding, assembly of the device, and filling with pharmaceuticals. The inhaler technology generates a fine mist to transport the drug to the patient’s respiratory system.
Combivent, Spiriva, and Striverdi
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Combivent with the Respimat inhaler in October 2011. The agent is a combination of ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate. The device/drug is for patients with COPD on a regular aerosol bronchodilator who continue to have evidence of bronchospasms and who require a second bronchodilator. The FDA eliminated the Combivent Inhalation Aerosol on December 31, 2013, as it contains chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which decrease the ozone layer.
On August 01, 2014, the FDA approved Striverdi Respimat (olodaterol) for maintenance treatment of COPD. The long-term, once-daily maintenance bronchodilator treatment is also for patients with chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. It is not for asthma or acute deteriorations of COPD.
In the news even more recently, the FDA approved Spiriva Respimat (tiotropium bromide) on September 25, 2014 for bronchospasms associated with COPD, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD exacerbations. The company expects to make the product available in 2015.
COPD Market
GBI Research, a business intelligence provider, has released a report on the COPD market to 2019, stating that combination products will capture significant market share. Analysts say that the global market was worth $11.3 billion in 2013 and is forecast to reach $15.6 billion by 2019. The growth is due to more convenient and efficacious products, such as Boehringer Ingelheim’s Respimat inhaler product line.