About the Author

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  • Alex Wilkinson is an NHS respiratory consultant working in Hertfordshire. He has a degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Cambridge and qualified in Clinical Medicine from Oxford University in 2005. Apart from a year working in Muheza, Tanzania he has been working continuously for the NHS since then and became a consultant in Respiratory medicine in 2016. He is an associate of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, but the views expressed on this site are his own. He has contributed to research into the environmental impact of inhalers and respiratory care that was sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, but he has never received any money or incentives for this work.
  • Like you, he cares about the environment, and recognises that healthcare must adapt if it is to be sustainable in the long term. He wants you to be informed about the impact of your inhalers, to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the right choices, and find the best treatment.

Selected Publications

  • Wilkinson, A, Woodcock, A. The environmental impact of inhalers for asthma: A green challenge and a golden opportunity. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2022; 88( 7): 3016– 3022. doi:10.1111/bcp.15135
  • Wilkinson A, Menzies-Gow A, Sawyer M, et al. S26 An assessment of short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) use and subsequent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in five European countries and the consequence of their potential overuse for asthma in the UK Thorax 2021;76:A19.
  • Wilkinson, A.J.K., Anderson, G. Sustainability in Inhaled Drug Delivery. Pharm Med 34, 191–199 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40290-020-00339-8
  • Wilkinson AJK, Braggins R, Steinbach I, et al. Costs of switching to low global warming potential inhalers. An economic and carbon footprint analysis of NHS prescription data in England. BMJ Open 2019;9:e028763
  • Janson C, Henderson R, Löfdahl M, et al Carbon footprint impact of the choice of inhalers for asthma and COPD Thorax 2020;75:82-84.
  • Wilkinson, Alexander et al. Our patients and our planet—holistic considerations for inhaler choice Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2019, Volume 7, Issue 3, e11
  • Hopkinson NS, Hart N, Jenkins G, et al.Climate change and lung health: presidential failure, professional responsibility Thorax 2019;74:627-628.
  • Wilkinson, Alexander and Mortimer Frances. Sustainable Respiratory Healthcare:Environmental Impact of Inhalers Respiratory Drug Delivery Europe 2019
  • Frances Mortimer, Jennifer Isherwood, Alexander Wilkinson, and Emma Vaux Sustainability in quality improvement: redefining value Future Hosp J June 2018 5:88-93; doi:10.7861/futurehosp.5-2-88
  • Braggins R, Smith J, Wilkinson A The true cost of switching to low global-warming potential inhalers. An analysis of NHS prescription data in englandThorax 2018;73:A196.
  • Hopkinson NS, Hart N, Jenkins G, et al. Climate change and lung health: the challenge for a new president Thorax 2017;72:295-296.
  • Tsangarides A, Wilkinson A, Mir F Disadvantages of salbutamol pressurised metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs)Thorax 2018;73:A193-A194.