Moermond, Caroline T.A., Puhlmann, Neele, Pieters, Lowik et al. (9 more authors) (2025) Eco-pharma dilemma:Navigating environmental sustainability trade-offs within the lifecycle of pharmaceuticals – A comment. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy. 101893. ISSN 2352-5541
Abstract
An ideal pharmaceutical treatment is both safe and effective for patients. However, from a sustainability perspective, it also needs to be cost-effective, energy- and resource-efficient, and not have a negative impact on the environment. When striving towards environmentally sustainable healthcare, trade-offs between environmental sustainability and other aspects play a multi-faceted role in decision-making along the whole life cycle of a pharmaceutical, from design to end-of-life. When making environment-driven choices, stakeholders in this life cycle (e.g., procurers, prescribers) may not be aware of all consequences (environmental, social, or economic), which complicates decision-making processes. Information at hand may be ambiguous or unknown due to data gaps, complex and interdependent local, national and global healthcare systems, and unknown future developments. Thus, trade-offs may happen at temporal or spatial scales outside of the daily practice of stakeholders. This commentary aims to initiate a discussion on these trade-offs, the need for a holistic view, the use of multi-criteria decision-making tools, and clear environmental sustainability guidelines.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. |
Keywords: | Environmental impact,Holistic assessment,life cycle,Pharmaceutical treatment,Pharmaceuticals,Stakeholders,Sustainability |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Chemistry (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 06 Jan 2025 11:30 |
Last Modified: | 01 Feb 2025 04:00 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2024.101893 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.scp.2024.101893 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:221375 |
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