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How drugmakers are handling new pressure to recycle plastic injection pens as millions of new patients begin using GLP-1s

On plastic chairs made from discarded obesity and diabetes drug pen injectors, Novo Nordisk is literally sitting on its blockbuster GLP-1 solution. The…

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On plastic chairs made from discarded obesity and diabetes drug pen injectors, Novo Nordisk is literally sitting on its blockbuster GLP-1 solution. The cafeteria in its newest site in Denmark is full of chairs and other furniture made from discarded and recycled diabetes and obesity single-use pens.

As millions of prescriptions get written, leading to even more millions of discarded pens, the average person may also someday sit on a chair made from the upcycled byproducts of a trending obesity treatment.

It won’t be easy, though. Beyond the expense and complexity of recycling contaminated medical waste like injection pens, in the medical waste big picture, injector pens are a smaller part of the larger problem.

Helping to spur pharma recycling are the many new users of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, who are starting to raise their voices. Reddit threads for both drugs include many questions and comments about the wastefulness of the one-time pens.

“Does anyone else feel guilty about the plastic syringes we just throw away? Must be millions filling up the landfills right now,” one user wrote recently.

Patient interest in recycling is also building in Europe, where some programs and test pilots are already running.

Katrine DiBona

“Particularly in European countries, we are seeing greater interest from patients,” said Katrine DiBona, Novo Nordisk corporate VP for global public affairs and sustainability. “We depend on patients having interest and the willingness to take them back.”

Novo Nordisk has a ReMed program, featured recently on its social media channels with videos of piles of bright plastic pellets and the modern furniture the pens are upcycled into. ReMed is currently the most extensive upcycling plastic pen effort among the fledgling trials and plans across pharma.

The pilot began in five Denmark cities in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, but evolved into the now-established national program. It’s collected 2.4 million of Novo’s pens in Denmark to date, currently with a 50% recycling rate, but aiming for an 85% rate by the end of 2024.

Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Merck joined ReMed last year, and the effort has expanded into the UK, Brazil, France and Japan. There are still no plans set for the US.

“It’s not feasible to collect pens all around the world, and then we fly them to Denmark, and then process them here,” DiBona said. “The numbers are clear. Within Europe, we can ground transport to Denmark for the backend solution. And it’s still a positive business case from a CO2 and environmental perspective. But the minute we start going into different regions, we need a regional back end solution.”

Separately, Eli Lilly is working with Sanofi on a pilot program in France called Recypen, a Lilly spokesperson said. On its own, Lilly is also running a recycling pilot in five cities in Germany and with more partners on “several take back and recycling pilots” in the US and in Europe.

The pharma companies’ efforts mirror those made by industries in general struggling with balancing convenience and consumer demand for environmental responsibility.

“This is not unique to the healthcare space right now. We are seeing a major shift and trends in adopting a circular economy across industries,” said Jamie Pero Parker, sustainability lead and innovation advisor at RTI International, which does research in medical waste and medical device recycling. “The issues come in different flavors, but they’re happening pretty much everywhere.”

Still, though the efforts and collaborations are nascent, Novo Nordisk is hopeful ongoing patient sentiment will help change the future.

“We moved the market to disposable devices. And I think increasingly that will become a challenge from an environmental point of view and also a scalability point of view when you get into large millions of patients,” Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen said at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in January, according to an AlphaSense transcript. “I think there’ll be a day where a patient as a consumer would not fancy throwing out a device after having used it once.”

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Industrial production for March is positive, but the overall trend remains flat

  – by New Deal democratIndustrial production, one of the premier series the NBER has historically used to declare recessions vs. expansions, has faded…

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April 16, 2024

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 - by New Deal democrat


Industrial production, one of the premier series the NBER has historically used to declare recessions vs. expansions, has faded in importance since China was admitted to regular trading status in 1999. As you can see in the first graph below, both total and manufacturing production peaked in 2007. Further, manufacturing has continued to fade, as its post-pandemic peak has not equaled its 2010’s peak either:




In March, total production increased 0.4% from an upwardly revised, by 0.2%, February; but it is still down -0.6% from its September 2022 post-pandemic peak. Manufacturing production increased 0.5%, but is also down, by -0.2% from its post-pandemic peak as well:



Before the “China shock,” a YoY downturn in industrial production almost always meant recession. As the YoY graph below shows, there was a significant “industrial recession” in 2015-16 without any generalized economic downturn:



Whether the 2019 downturn would have resulted in a recession by itself had the pandemic not intervened will always remain an unanswered question. But again in 2023 production was again down YoY with no recession. As of March, manufacturing production is flat YoY, while total production is now up by 1.0%.

Bottom line: while March was positive, the overall trend remains generally flat.

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EuBiologics’ simplified OCV achieves WHO PQ

– Euvichol-S, developed jointly by EuBiologics and IVI, improves productivity by approximately 40% over Euvichol-Plus® Credit: EuBiologics – Euvichol-S,…

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– Euvichol-S, developed jointly by EuBiologics and IVI, improves productivity by approximately 40% over Euvichol-Plus®

Credit: EuBiologics

– Euvichol-S, developed jointly by EuBiologics and IVI, improves productivity by approximately 40% over Euvichol-Plus®

– Production and supply of Euvichol-S expected to help address cholera vaccine shortages

 

April 15, 2024, SEOUL, Republic of Korea – EuBiologics and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced that Euvichol-S, an improved oral cholera vaccine (OCV) developed jointly by EuBiologics and IVI, has achieved World Health Organization prequalification (PQ). Euvichol-S is a new OCV that has improved productivity by about 40 percent over the existing Euvichol-Plus® by modifying the formulation and manufacturing method of the original vaccine material.

 

In May last year, EuBiologics submitted a PQ application to WHO with technical support from IVI after a field inspection of its GMP facilities by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on behalf of WHO.  The new vaccine received an export license from KMFDS in December before winning the WHO seal of approval in about 10 months after application.

 

EuBiologics will now be able to produce and supply three oral cholera vaccines, including Euvichol® (in glass vials) and Euvichol-Plus®. There is a significant global shortage of vaccine for cholera prevention as reported recently by The New York Times, and the expected supply of Euvichol-S to UN agencies is expected to ease this supply shortage.

 

Euvichol-S was developed through technological collaboration between EuBiologics and Dr. Julia Lynch’s team at IVI, and its efficacy was demonstrated in a Phase 3 comparative clinical trial in Nepal last year. The development of the vaccine was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the vaccine will be produced and distributed by EuBiologics. After the scale-up process, Euvichol-S will be mass produced in GMP facilities at the company’s Chuncheon Plant 1 and Plant 2 in the Republic of Korea beginning in the second quarter.

 

Dr. Julia Lynch, Director of IVI’s Cholera Program, said, “The addition of Euvichol-S to global health market will contribute to easing the shortage of OCV supply amid a dire global cholera situation. IVI will continue efforts to enhance the availability of OCV worldwide and develop new and improved vaccines that are equally safe, effective, and affordable.”

 

 

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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that also achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 39 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.

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Budget grocery store gets fancy Whole Foods-style feature

The food market, which operates across the northeast and mid Atlantic, is adding a crowd pleaser.

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April 16, 2024

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Routine, weekly trips to the grocery store are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. 

And that's largely because the grocery landscape is changing as a whole. 

Related: Target makes (another) self-checkout change customers will hate

Increasingly, consumer taste and demands are becoming more niche. Some prefer to shop exclusively online thanks to new delivery services like Instacart and Amazon  (AMZN)  grocery delivery. 

Others frequent superstores like Walmart  (WMT)  or Target  (TGT)  where they can hit all their errands – pharmacy, pet supplies, party favors, cosmetics, and groceries – at once. Often, these stores offer deeper discounts and better value, particularly if a customer prefers buying in bulk. 

Other customers prefer instead to make the trek to a specialty grocer, such as a Wegmans, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, or Sprouts which tend to carry more niche, holistic, or gourmet items for even the pickiest of palates. 

Often, these specialty stores will carry an outsized number of organic produce, or items that one might have to ordinarily place a special order for ahead of time at another store or restaurant, like sushi, poke bowls, hand-made mozzarella, organic smoothies, or international candies. 

But increasingly, everyday markets and grocery stores are beginning to add in specialty conveniences in an effort to attract more customers through their doors – or please the existing ones. Florida-based Publix, for example, has been adding new features like burrito bars, fresh deli sandwich stations, salad bars, ramen bars, and freshly cooked pizzas to some of its stores for a renewed upscale experience.

Weis Markets adds unique new feature

The issue with many of these specialty stores, of course, is that only a few items can ring up a pricey bill. It's not exactly feasible for the average family of four, for example, to shop each week for their essentials at The Fresh Market. The bill would be pricey, and not every kid prefers or appreciates fresh organic burrata cheese on his or her cauliflower crust pizza for a packable lunch.

A Weis Market at Broadcasting Square.

MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images/Getty Images

So everyday grocery stores have been adding some more modern conveniences to their aisles in an effort to attract a clientele that appreciates the finer things but still wants to save money. 

Weis Markets announced it would be adding technologically advanced salad bars to some of its stores, which will allow customers to create their own bespoke ready to eat meals, hot and fresh, while they get their grocery shopping done. 

The salad bars are made by Picadeli of Sweden and utilize artificial intelligence to create "fresher, safer, and more craveable," salad bars using locally sourced ingredients that are typically very veggie-heavy. Red meat is not on the menu, the company proudly touts. 

"The push pre-pandemic was for more bulk foods, more service stations, [and then] the pandemic got everybody really concerned” about safety, Weis Markets Director of Produce Kevin Weaver said. “And now the pendulum is swinging back to ‘I want more choice, I want to be able to customize.’ And so service departments are making a resurgence and salad bars are making a resurgence.”

The salad bars will feature closable hoods, which will protect ingredients and keep them fresher longer. Weis Markets will start out by introducing the Picadeli stations into of their stores, many of which will be located in Maryland. 

Two stores have already received the new installations, in York and Bellefonte, Pa., and the following are slated to install them soon: 

  • Parkville, Md.
  • Perry Hall, Md.
  • Baltimore, Md.
  • Frederick, Md.
  • Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
  • Clarks Summit, Pa.

Picadeli currently operates its salad bars in other popular areas around the U.S., include Acme grocery stores, Giant, Safeway, Coborn's, and Maryville University in Missouri.

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