Producer
Koura (Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials)
Division of Orbia (formerly Mexichem). World leader in pharmaceutical-grade HFA propellants under the Zephex brand. Zephex 134a in ~75% of global pMDIs. Only FDA-registered active HFA-134a supplier in the US. Opened world's first commercial HFA-152a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at Runcorn, UK in March 2022.
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Pharmaceutical HFA Propellants (Zephex Brand)
35%Industrial & HVAC Fluorochemicals
40%Orbia Parent (Mexichem Heritage)
25%
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Did you know2023
HFA 134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) is the same molecule in two completely different policy and market contexts: (1) Automotive air conditioning refrigerant — R-134a was the standard car AC refrigerant from the early 1990s through 2011+ (EU new car regulation mandated phaseout → R-1234yf by 2017); in the US, R-134a is still used in many older and some new vehicles; (2) Pharmaceutical pMDI propellant — pharmaceutical-grade HFA 134a (Zephex 134a, same molecule) propels medication from an asthma inhaler to the lung; ~75% of global MDIs use HFA 134a from Koura. Both uses are being phased out by climate regulations — automotive HFA 134a by Euro 7 and US EPA MAC regulations (→ R-1234yf, GWP 4), pharmaceutical HFA 134a by EU F-gas (→ HFA 152a). Koura is the dominant producer for both markets and is actively developing the successor chemistry (HFA 152a) for the pharmaceutical market. The same Runcorn, UK plant supplies HFA 134a to car AC system manufacturers AND to GSK and AstraZeneca for Ventolin and Symbicort inhalers — the same fluorocarbon refrigerant chemistry connecting automotive HVAC to respiratory medicine.
Koura (Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials) ↗Concentration2023
Koura (Orbia subsidiary; Runcorn UK and Pajaritos Mexico) holds approximately 75% of global pharmaceutical-grade HFA-134a supply and is the sole FDA-registered active supplier of HFA-134a for US pMDI manufacturers. This near-monopoly developed because pharmaceutical-grade HFA-134a qualification is extraordinarily demanding: suppliers must demonstrate >99.99% purity, moisture <10 ppm, and provide Drug Master File (DMF) data to FDA — a multi-year process that only Koura has completed for US market supply. If Koura were to discontinue pharmaceutical-grade 134a production due to EU F-gas quota restrictions, US pMDI manufacturers would face a supply crisis with no short-term domestic alternative. The FDA requirement for drug-grade propellant, combined with the EU climate regulation phase-down of the same chemical, creates a potential regulatory collision where climate policy eliminates a medical supply chain before therapeutic alternatives are ready. Patient advocacy groups for asthma and COPD patients have filed comments with both FDA and European regulators about this intersection.
Koura / Orbia ↗Capacity2022
Koura opened the world's first commercial pharmaceutical-grade HFA-152a production facility in Runcorn, UK on March 30, 2022 — adjacent to its existing HFA-134a plant. HFA-152a has a GWP of just 4 (vs. 1,430 for HFA-134a), a 99.7% reduction. Pharma companies must begin years-long clinical bridging programs now to meet EU quotas by 2030, and Koura is the only qualified commercial HFA-152a supplier — reproducing the same single-supplier dynamic that currently exists for HFA-134a.
Koura / Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials ↗Origin2023
Koura is a division of Orbia Advance Corporation (formerly Mexichem) — a Mexican conglomerate headquartered in Mexico City whose core businesses started in chlor-alkali and PVC chemistry in Mexico in the 1950s. Mexichem grew through Latin American acquisitions in PVC pipes and vinyl chemistry, then expanded globally through acquisitions including Wavin (Netherlands, plastic pipes), Dura-Line (US, plastic conduit), Netafim (Israel, drip irrigation), and Koura (UK-based fluorochemicals, the former Honeywell/Allied Chemical fluorochemicals operations). The fluorochemical unit — rebranded Koura in 2019 — produces HFA pharmaceutical propellants and industrial fluorochemicals from a UK base with a heritage from ICI's Runcorn research legacy. A Mexican PVC pipe company is the dominant global supplier of the pharmaceutical propellant in asthma inhalers and the only FDA-registered HFA 134a producer in the United States. The supply chain for asthma medication delivery runs through a subsidiary of a Mexican conglomerate more widely known in Latin America for plastic water pipes.
Koura (Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials) ↗