SUDDEN is a research project that seeks solutions to decrease the adverse environmental effects of pharmaceuticals and to improve the sustainability of the pharmaceutical sector.
The environmental impact of pharmaceuticals is a growing global problem. As societies become urbanised and the global population grows and ages, use of drugs and the chemical burden they impose on the environment increases. Drugs produce emissions throughout their life cycle, from development and manufacturing to consumption and disposal. SUDDEN, short for Sustainable Drug Discovery and Development with End-of-Life Yield, is a research project that seeks solutions to decrease the adverse environmental effects of pharmaceuticals and to improve the sustainability of the pharmaceutical sector.
SUDDEN will produce:
1. tools for assessing environmental risks proposed by pharmaceuticals and for identifying the environmental impact of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their transformation products. The aim is to help drug development to choose compounds that are the least harmful to the environment.
2. policy recommendations that promote environmentally-sound decision making and support sustainability in the pharmaceutical sector. The aim is to improve the regulation of pharmaceutical emissions and the transparency of production chains.
3. solutions for circular economy which enhance recycling of pharmaceutical packaging materials and the utilisation of wastewater sludge. We seek for solutions to decrease the waste flows produced by drug use.
The project is funded by the Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland as a part of GROWTH2 -programme 2018-2021.
Read more about SUDDEN.
More info: atte.ojanen@demoshelsinki.fi