The off-patent medicines industry is a cornerstone of European healthcare, accounting for 70% of medicines dispensed in Europe. These drugs treat a range of severe conditions, including cancer, respiratory diseases, and autoimmune disorders, forming an essential part of health systems. However, the significant economic and health impact of the off-patent medicines industry comes with great responsibility. The industry now faces the task of addressing its environmental footprint while ensuring access to affordable and reliable supplies of generic medicines, innovative biosimilars, and value-added treatments.
The Need for a Common Language
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool that measures a product’s environmental impact from production to disposal. While undertaking LCAs is crucial for making informed and evidence-based environmental assessments of medicines, the lack of a standardised methodology hinders comparisons and industry-wide improvements. Establishing standardised LCA practices would enable more effective environmental management and facilitate the setting and delivery of meaningful sustainability targets.
Moreover, the question of who bears responsibility for these assessments is a complex topic that requires debate. It is vital to consider whether manufacturers should take on the full responsibility, or if it should be shared among other healthcare system players such as distributors and healthcare providers. A collaborative approach, involving all stakeholders in the supply chain, will potentially be the most effective for sustainability efforts.
Overcoming Industry Fragmentation
Decarbonising the off-patent medicines industry presents a critical challenge. Although sustainable procurement practices have gained traction in recent years, with initiatives like the NHS England’s Delivering Net Zero ambitions driving progress, the industry needs consistent sustainability assessment metrics across all sectors to drive change. This requires collaboration between pharmaceutical companies, health systems, and suppliers to establish and implement sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.
However, a significant hurdle in the decarbonisation of the off-patent medicines industry is its fragmented nature. Since it is comprised of many, often small, enterprises lacking a collective voice, this fragmentation makes industry-wide engagement challenging. Overcoming this is crucial for initiating collective conversations with health system leaders and suppliers to drive sustainable practices.
Addressing Global Health Equity
This industry also faces an ethical dilemma in balancing environmental sustainability with advancing therapeutic innovation and improving patient access. While strategies like repurposing drugs can enhance utility and accessibility, they may increase the environmental burden due to additional manufacturing and distribution. This challenge raises important questions about the industry’s role in healthcare, suggesting a shift towards emphasising prevention alongside treatment. By promoting lifestyle changes and preventive care, the sector could help reduce overall medication demand, thereby alleviating some environmental pressures.
Additionally, the industry must address global health equity issues, particularly in the least developed countries where priority therapeutic areas that are poorly served, such as infectious diseases and maternal care, require urgent attention. This adds another dimension to the sustainability versus access debate. The sector has an opportunity to positively impact global health priorities, but it must balance these efforts with environmental considerations.
Towards a Sustainable Legacy
The future of this industry requires a balance between environmental responsibility and the fundamental aim to provide effective, accessible and affordable medicines. As the sector navigates these challenges and embraces change, it has the potential to lead the way in creating a more sustainable and equitable global healthcare system.
It is important that events take place to allow leaders to come away with practical actions and focus on achieving better sustainability across healthcare. By fostering collaboration, standardising practices, and tackling global health equity, the off-patent medicines industry can work towards a sustainable legacy that compromises neither patients’ needs nor environmental sustainability.
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For more information on the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, and to learn more about our commitment to sustainable healthcare, please visit: https://shcoalition.org/
Note: These key takeaways are from attending the 2024 Medicines for Europe Conference.