Reflections on DDL 2023: Looking forward to a year of sustainable growth, and growth in sustainability.

For those of us who have visited the Drug Delivery to The Lungs conference over the years, the event is well renowned and regarded for an eclectic mix of science and socializing. After three full days at the Edinburgh International Conference Center, there are many impactful experiences that can be reflected on.

Hosted in early December in the historic city of Edinburgh, the conference gives all attendees an opportunity to reflect on the year past, while certainly having one eye on the year ahead. In this blog, we talk with the team at Celanese about the key themes that were discussed, the general mood of attendees and what we may be able to look forward to in 2024.

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Ready and willing to do business.

The first impression was that this was a hard-working event, with a strong sense that there was business to be done. Of course there was some downtime and an opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues, but actually the pervading atmosphere was one of focus, optimism and opportunity.

Inevitably, sustainability and next-gen propellants were key themes, but here there was a shift from exploration to implementation. It would appear that the major players have made decisions about propellants and are now actively working towards implementation. Similarly, the discussions around sustainability and Global Warming Potential (GWP) were extremely focused – less about the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ and more about the ‘when’.? Certainly, our conversations were around detail, about the sustainability not just of the product, but also the manufacturing, distribution and the aligned scopes for reduction in GWP.

From a Celanese perspective, it was pleasing to hear a great deal of discussion around material selection for both generic and next-gen devices. The depth and breadth of experience that resides within the Celanese team was evidently well received as several co-operative projects were mooted. The recent acquisitions and extension to the medical and pharma product portfolio were also a rich source of discussion. One specific area of interest was in the application of Santoprene? TPV as a grip and over molding to aid the use of devices for older and less dextrous patients.

There was also a notable interest in the re-emergence of Soft Mist Inhalers as a more sustainable alternative to conventional pMDIs in treatments not limited to asthma and COPD.

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Thinking global, acting local

There was certainly an increased and notable presence from device manufacturers located in Asia as they look to increase their sales footprint from local territories to Europe and beyond. Here, of course, a very big consideration is the security of supply locally – a challenge Celanese embraced right at the outset of the rise of the Asian market by establishing a significant presence in the territory, now totaling over 30 facilities.

What to look for in 2024

Innovation, collaboration and sustainability will continue to dominate the agenda in 2024. There will be an ongoing focus on reducing the GWP of all activities and every option will be forensically evaluated including the use of materials from multiple renewable pathways including biobased, carbon capture and a renewed focus on re-usable devices.

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To find out more about the Celanese credentials in drug delivery, please contact Bryan Deacon , Peter Burke or Tracey Sutton