ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY REQUIREMENTS IN DRUG PROCUREMENT T Drug assessment is now progressively taking sustainability criteria into account alongside traditional cost-effectiveness, for their procurement, pricing, and reimbursement policies for pharmaceuticals. Many pharma companies have effectively incorporated innovative actions in their production, consumption, and supply chain to improve environmental and social sustainability practices, and to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In Europe, there is an increasing trend of the inclusion of environmental, social, and governance issues along with quality and pricing in the decision-making process specifically with respect to tenders and procurement.
Josep M Guiu, Director, Pharmacy and Medicines, Consortium of Health and Social Care of Catalonia; Adjunct Lecturer, Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona
o preserve a healthy environment and human well-being, there is a recognised need to move away from overconsumption, waste and ecological harm. Historical and current patterns of natural resource use are contributing towards negative impacts on human health and the environment. This is particularly evident in the global health supply chain, as the production of medicines, health products and equipment contain a high-level of an environmental and social trade-off impacts, and most notably in emerging markets. Many products and materials that come into hospitals may be harmful to patients, staff, and those in the community. Some products may contain or release carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or other hazardous materials. Moreover, the healthcare supply
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