The health sector has a significant impact on the environment; in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, it is responsible for between 3 and 8% of CO2 emissions. It also uses large quantities of water, energy, solvents and fossil-based raw materials, and generates a lot of waste.
Enter new IHI project PHARMECO, which aims to trigger a green revolution in the manufacture of medicines.
“We are excited to coordinate PHARMECO and collaborate with a remarkable consortium to advance more sustainable practices in pharmaceutical manufacturing,” said project coordinator Sarah Costers of the University of Ghent in Belgium. “By leveraging cross-sectoral expertise and innovation, we will develop sustainable solutions that reduce environmental impact and create lasting benefits for the future of healthcare.”
Integrating ‘safe and sustainable by design’ principles into pharmaceutical development
As a first step, the project will enhance the early stages of pharmaceutical development by integrating ‘safe and sustainable by design’ (SSbD) principles. Promising innovative technologies and process optimisations will be selected based on their potential to significantly reduce the use of solvents, substances of very high concern, energy, and water in pharmaceutical production practices covering chemical synthesis, biomanufacturing and decontamination. Additionally, considerations of scalability and alignment with the corporate strategies of PHARMECO’s industrial partners will be taken into account, paving the way for the implementation of more efficient and sustainable manufacturing processes for various pharmaceutical products.
In the next phase, the project will test how the SSbD-driven technologies and processes perform at a larger scale, such as that needed for clinical trials and transfer to standard manufacture settings.
Support for environmentally-sound decision-making
One major deliverable of the project focuses on digital tools to support environmentally-sound decision-making when developing new (bio)manufacturing processes. The modular tools will allow users to assess sustainability from multiple perspectives covering all stages of the product’s life cycle.
Finally, the project plans to harmonise the way environmental sustainability assessments of pharmaceuticals are carried out by delivering guidelines that are scientifically-robust, practical, and accepted by stakeholders.
A path towards a more eco-friendly pharmaceutical industry
Together, the project outputs will form a comprehensive toolkit to support the development and manufacture of more sustainable pharmaceuticals and to evaluate their environmental impact along the whole life cycle.
“We are proud to launch the PHARMECO project: we will set a new benchmark for sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing and align with the future of responsible innovation,” said Kripa Ram, Sanofi's Global Head of CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls). “This project represents collaboration and forward-thinking, creating a path towards a more efficient and eco-friendly pharmaceutical industry."