Evolving World of Pharma: Have you given any thought to green chemistry?

Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies the top 10 threats to global health. In 2019, this included environmental issues such as climate change, as well as anti-microbial resistance, vaccine hesitancy, high-threat pathogens and noncommunicable diseases (e.g. heart disease, cancer). The inclusion of ‘climate change’ in that list reflects the widely accepted fact that our world is struggling with unprecedented environmental challenges.

Unfortunately, the pharma industry is part of the problem. We appear to be caught in a Catch-22 situation – facing ever-increasing demand for more drugs to treat an expanding world population, versus ever-increasing demand for reduced emissions and by-products associated with the production of those drugs. Earlier this year, in an article published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Cleaner Production, Belkhir & Elmeligi calculated that the intensity of carbon emissions from the pharma industry is about 55% higher than that of the automotive industry. This is quite a shocking statistic, and it can only contribute to current pressures from regulatory authorities and environmental groups urging pharma manufacturers to use more sustainable practices.

Have you given any thought to green chemistry?

Many large pharma companies have announced plans to reduce their carbon emissions, often with specific targets in mind. Other issues that need to be addressed include minimizing the levels of harmful ingredients released into the environment (e.g. via wastewater runoff), and simply decreasing the consumption and depletion of limited world resources.

One approach that all pharma companies might want to consider is that of ‘green chemistry’. Although the term was popularized in the 1990s due to an emerging awareness of chemical pollution and resource depletion, the basic principles of green chemistry – ensuring that chemical manufacturing is as efficient and economical as possible – have always been the basis of good chemical production. In other words, employing a green chemistry approach could add not just to a company’s sustainability credentials – it could also save money and increase a company’s manufacturing efficiency.

Applying green chemistry to pharma manufacturing can help to create efficient and sustainable processes with low toxicity and minimal resource depletion. Replacing toxic ingredients with ethically sourced, safer alternatives is an important first step. Identifying ‘clean reactions’, recycling catalysts, minimizing waste and reducing energy consumption all add to the equation.

Many pharma companies have in-house chemists and engineers who are able to identify and develop solutions that might provide them with more sustainable approaches. Clearly, it is important that these processes should be viable on a commercial scale. Those needing a little help in this area can always turn to third party advisers. For example, as CatSci’s Senior Scientist, Joe Renny, recently wrote in an article for Chemicals Knowledge magazine, “As industry increasingly relies on outsourcing models, pharmaceutical … sponsors will continue to utilize the capabilities found in Contract Research Organizations (CROs) to deliver innovative green chemistry solutions.”

Renny stressed that the importance of processes allied with green chemistry across the drug discovery and development pipeline demonstrate its importance in the speed, quality and cost triangle. As well as being more environmentally friendly, a process that has been optimized using green chemistry could be more cost-effective, produce a higher quality end-product and it could produce that product more rapidly.

With increasingly regular calls to improve the sustainability of pharma manufacturing, developing green solutions is now a more pressing issue than ever. Added to the fact that green chemistry might also offer financial and efficiency incentives, this seems to be another ‘no brainer’. Surely a large number of pharma manufacturers would benefit from taking a look at their processes to see what improvements can be made. Of course, many of them are already doing so. But if your company is not among them, I think you really need to give some thought to green chemistry –  it’s not always easy being green but, as growing demand for more sustainable products continues to sweep across the world, you probably don’t want to be one of the grey dots left in an otherwise green world.

Author biography

Sarah Harding, PhD

Sarah Harding worked as a medical writer and consultant in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years, for the last 10 years of which she owned and ran her own medical communications agency that provided a range of services to blue-chip Pharma companies. In 2016, she began a new career in publishing as Editor of Speciality Chemicals Magazine, and has more recently taken up the role of Editorial Director at Chemicals Knowledge. She continues to also provide independent writing and consultancy services to the pharmaceutical and speciality chemicals industry.

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