AstraZeneca seals deal with Bespak for metered-dose inhaler delivery system

AstraZeneca ($AZN) inked a deal with Consort Medical ($CSRT) subsidiary Bespak for the company’s metered-dose inhaler technology to be used to deliver the drugmaker’s Bevespi Aerosphere for treating patients with COPD.

AstraZeneca won FDA approval of Bevespi in April. The drug is indicated for long-term, maintenance therapy in patients with COPD.

Financial terms of the multi-year deal with Bespak weren’t released. Bespak will will supply AstraZeneca with its pressurized metered dose inhaler valves and actuators. The devices will be produced in Bespak's King's Lynn facility in the U.K., the BusinessWeekly reported.

“We are delighted to have successfully concluded this agreement with AstraZeneca,” Jon Glenn, Consort’s CEO, said. “This further reinforces the ongoing strength of our respiratory device franchise in the pMDI segment.”

Similar to products from GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) and Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca’s offering is a dual bronchodilator that keeps airways open and cuts down on the amount of mucus they produce. The added attraction of Bevespi, however, is that its the first treatment to use AstraZeneca's new cosuspension technology, which helps keep dosing consistent for combo drugs in a single inhaler.

- check out the BusinessWeekly story

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