Alba Tiley , global director of the Sustainable Antibiotics programme , and Alice Beijersbergen , director of global communications & corporate branding at Centrient Pharmaceuticals , discuss the need for the pharmaceutical sector to work together to combat the twin threats of climate change and antimicrobial resistance
Recent decades have brought
life-changing advances in healthcare , many stemming from the increased accessibility and affordability of modern medicines . Antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products not only cure bacterial infections , they also make life-saving medical procedures like organ transplants and cancer treatments possible , saving millions of lives . Now , our sector faces new challenges . First , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) foresees increases in heat-related mortality and morbidity resulting from the escalating climate crisis . As major weather events occur with increasing regularity , the frequency of epidemics and outbreaks of infectious disease will also increase . Population displacement due to sea level rises and increased storm activity may also have a significant impact on human health in the decades ahead . At the same time , another global health threat is gathering speed . With the use – and misuse – of antibiotics rising worldwide , the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) has identified antimicrobial resistance ( AMR ) as a top health priority for the coming decade . Already , 700,000 people / year are dying due to drug-resistant diseases , with the number forecast to reach 10 million by 2050 unless urgent action is taken . The economic impact of widespread AMR will be no less devastating , potentially costing 2-3.5 % of global GDP , to the value of $ 100 trillion by 2050 .
Pharma ’ s role
The global pharmaceutical industry plays an important role at the intersection between the healthcare sector and societal and economic well-being . In particular , pharma organisations have a duty to address the growing risk of emerging diseases and health concerns . Doing this will involve companies taking steps to decarbonise their manufacturing and operational processes to prevent worsening impact . Pharma has generally been slower to embrace this than other major industries . In 2019 , a firstof-its-kind study by environmental engineers at McMaster University calculated that , in 2015 , the global pharmaceuticals sector generated 13 % more CO 2 equivalent than the automotive industry , even though the latter is 28 % larger in terms of its overall value . Pharmaceutical producers must also step up on AMR , because research shows that they may be among its causes . Without efficient safeguards in place , antibiotic residue can reach water bodies through effluent and wastewater from pharmaceutical production sites . This , in turn , spurs the development of resistance in bacteria present in the environment , creating ‘ hotspots ’ where resistant microbes can thrive .
Green , clean future ?
Improvement starts with awareness . Before they can help customers and patients , pharmaceutical companies need to understand the future impact of climate change on health better and to
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