Thurso research institute receives award for innovative work in pharmaceutical pollution

UHI North Highland’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in Thurso, NHS Highland, and the University of Nottingham have been awarded a £100,000 Medical Research Council grant to research pharmaceutical pollution. This is an innovation first in the UK.

Pharmaceutical pollution is a well-recognised global public health and environmental issue. This can negatively impact the environment through water pollution and large carbon emissions – medicines contribute 25 per cent of the NHS carbon footprint. It can also exacerbate the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the environment.

Professor Sharon Pfleger, consultant in pharmaceutical Public Health for NHS Highland and principal investigator for the research said: “With the climate and biodiversity crises, healthcare has a moral and social responsibility to limit its environmental impact. This research will enable key disciplines and organisations to come together to pave the way for more sustainable prescribing in Scotland. It is the beginning of a journey to discover what’s good for our patients is also good for the planet.”

Pharmaceuticals enter the water environment when people taking medicines go to the toilet, and when partially used or expired medicines are inappropriately flushed down toilets/sinks instead of being returned to a pharmacy for proper disposal. Wastewater treatment facilities were not designed to remove such pollutants from wastewater, and medicines like antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and anti-depressants have been detected in rivers and lochs in Scotland. Medicines have biological effects on our bodies and may have similar effects on aquatic life.

Each health board has a list of preferred prescribing choices for clinicians called a formulary. Currently these formularies consider patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and cost effectiveness, but they do not consider the environmental impact of a medicine.

Scottish Water's chief scientist Elise Cartmell said: "We are very supportive of this research project. It will help improve our collective awareness and understanding of the impact of pharmaceuticals in the water environment, support development of sustainable solutions to reduce this type of pollution and ultimately protect both water quality and the efficacy of medicines."

For more information, please visit the project page: ohbp.org/outputs/projects/developing-frameworks-for-eco-directed-sustainable-prescribing/

This work is a first step towards improvement of medicine prescribing in Scotland to reduce pharmaceutical pollution. The research will generate new knowledge sharing and awareness of the environmental impact of medicines, and help develop new solutions to complex sustainability issues while benefitting the NHS, prescribers, patients, and the environment.

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