Sustainable Procurement & CSR News - Pharmaceutical Industry

Two years into its work, a voluntary, industry-led effort to reduce pollution from antibiotic manufacturing facilities is drawing mixed reviews from outside analysts. A new report from a pharmaceutical industry group says it is making substantial progress toward curbing leaks of antibiotic compounds into the environment. But critics say the report highlights the need for governments to enact binding rules.

Studies have found that many antibiotic manufacturing facilities release the compounds they are making into the environment, often via wastewater, contributing to the deadly problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). (Overuse and improper disposal of drugs also contribute to AMR.) In 2017, after global leaders committed to tackling AMR, more than 100 drug companies and industry associations formed a group—the AMR Industry Alliance—in part to police manufacturing discharges. Alliance members account for roughly one-third of the world’s antibiotic sales.

NHS England and the NHS Confederation have established a new centre to investigate the impact of race and ethnicity on health, amid significant concerns about the disproportionate affect of COVID-19 on people from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds.

The NHS Race and Health Observatory is tasked with identifying and tackling the specific health challenges facing those with BAME origin, providing analysis and policy recommendations to improve health outcomes for NHS patients, communities and staff.