AstraZeneca’s Trixeo Aerosphere (budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate), already approved in Europe for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults, has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for a version that uses a new propellant with near-zero Global Warming Potential (GWP).

Trixeo is the first medicine delivered by a pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) using a propellant with 99.9% lower GWP compared to those in current pMDIs. This triple-combination therapy, known as Breztri Aerosphere in the US, China, and Japan, now has a carbon footprint similar to inhalers that don’t use a propellant.

Professor Frederik Trinkmann, a senior pulmonologist at Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany, said: “pMDIs are critical for millions of people in Europe, especially vulnerable groups like children and the elderly. This transition allows doctors to keep focusing on patients’ clinical needs while also reducing environmental impact.”

Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca’s BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, said: “This is a major step in our goal to deliver sustainable healthcare. Trixeo is the first of our inhaled medicines to switch to the new propellant, and we aim to update our full pMDI portfolio by 2030 as part of our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy.”

Susanna Palkonen, Director of the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations, said: “COPD is a serious condition and a leading cause of death worldwide. Patients need effective treatment and a healthy environment. We support this positive step toward reducing the carbon footprint of inhaled medicines.”

Trixeo is the first pMDI medicine in AstraZeneca’s portfolio to use the near-zero GWP propellant. The company plans to transition its entire pMDI range in the EU starting in the coming months.