Anaesthetic recycling plan earns tech firm £762k grant

From left: Dr Matt Gopal (Sagetech), consultant anaesthetist Peter Ford, Dr Sebastian Brown (Sagetech) with Dave Tarbet of the Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

ADEVON firm has secured a grant of £762,000 to develop and commercialise technology which enables it to recycle and reuse gas-based anaesthetic.

SageTech Medical Equipment, which is based in Paignton, has secured the grant from Innovate UK to work in conjunction with the University of Exeter Medical School to develop the unique technology.

The firm, founded in 2015, has developed a process for the capture, extraction and purification of inhalational anaesthetics, so that they can be placed back on the market.

It says its technology will create the first-ever circular economy for a pharmaceutical product, and cut both the cost and pollution created by anaesthesia.

It says the £1.5 million pro- ject will make operating theatres more efficient as well as creating skilled jobs in Devon.

Inhalational anaesthetic represent a growing market but because they are minimally metabolised, up to 95% is vented directly into the atmosphere.

Because the agents are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), they are highly pollutive, with every kilo of commonly-used anaesthetic, desflurane, the equivalent of 2,500kg of CO2.

Globally, inhalational anaesthetic agents contribute over 2.2m tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. However, legislation designed to curb and eradicate HFCs is not currently enforced for anaesthetic agents because viable recycling solutions are not available.

With the support of the Innovate UK award, SageTech will develop a waste anaesthetic collection programme across multiple NHS trusts, as well as a commercial-scale anaesthetic purification plant.

SageTech is currently working in collaboration with the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust to optimise the implementation of the technology within the NHS.

As a partner in the Innovate UK award, The European Centre for the Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) will independently assess the environmental impact of SageTech’s technology.

SageTech is consulting with the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to understand how the reduction in HFC emissions using SageTech’s technology can support the UK Government’s phase down obligations and the carbon budget. Co-founder and research dir- ector, Dr Sebastian Brown said: “At SageTech, we have a clear ambition to be the leader of sustainable anaesthesia worldwide.

“We are delighted to have secured an Innovate UK award for this unique project and look forward to working with the European Centre for Environment and Human Health to address the huge problem of environmental emissions in anaesthesia.”

The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Clinical Innovation lead, Pete Ford said: “It is very exciting for the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to be partnered with SageTech and to be involved with helping develop this technology.

“This is one of the smartest innovations in anaesthesia for many decades. It will completely change the way we deliver anaesthetics to patients.

“It’s a real show-stopper. I am proud to say it puts Devon on the global map in terms of developing exciting healthcare innovations.”

Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP and Chair of the Commons Health Select Committee said of SageTech: “I support examining the opportunities for innovation to reduce both financial and environmental costs whilst maintaining the safety of anaesthetic practice.”

Torbay Development Agency has provided support to SageTech with their ongoing growth plans as part of their aftercare account management programme.

Jason Buck, investment manager at TDA, said: “We are excited to see Sagetech continue to expand here in Torbay and we congratulate them on their recent Innovate UK funding and hope other Torbay based companies consider Innovate UK calls.”