Pharmaceuticals In Our Drinking water.
- The Chairman
- May 29
- 4 min read
Thank you for your outreach to Pfizer and for your interest in our environmental program. Pfizer is committed to environmental stewardship and the responsible management of pharmaceutical waste and are committed to sharing details of our efforts through our annual impact report (Pfizer_2023_Impact_Report_11MAR2024.pdf). We appreciate the opportunity to provide you with the information requested.
Preventative Measures: What protocols does your company have in place to ensure that pharmaceutical products are managed in a way that minimizes their impact on the environment, particularly in relation to our water supply and soil?
Limiting the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is an environmental priority for Pfizer. Patient use of medicines (prescription and over-the-counter) is a leading source of pharmaceuticals in wastewater in addition to agricultural and veterinary use.
Medicines taken by patients are naturally excreted and may enter waterways through wastewater management systems. To a lesser extent, pharmaceuticals can enter the environment through improper disposal of medicines and from manufacturing wastewater discharges. It’s important for patients to take medicine only as prescribed by a healthcare professional and commit to proper disposal of all unused or expired medications. For household unused or expired medications, local collection programs can provide a safe disposal method that protects public health and the environment (see https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/collecting-and-disposing-unwanted-medicines). These methods vary by state, and county. The FDA maintains a list of permanent collection sites and periodic “take back” events as well as take-back guidance in the United States. Pfizer participates in a U.S. industry coalition called the Pharmaceutical Product Stewardship Work Group (PPSWG), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the pharmaceutical industry dispose of household pharmaceutical products and to apply take-back laws for “sharps” (medical objects that could cut or puncture). Pfizer also works with MED-Project USA, which serves as the stewardship organization designated by PPSWG to implement and operate mandated take-back programs.
Mitigating impact on water resources and soils includes ensuring that our operations (i.e., our manufacturing and R&D sites) do not adversely affect human health or the environment. Compliance with applicable laws and regulations is a fundamental company expectation. We work to meet applicable local water quality requirements and are committed to engaging our suppliers so that they apply responsible environmental standards into their operations. Pfizer also has corporate environmental standards that help ensure consistent and appropriate environmental protection at our sites globally. Our Water Stewardship Standard requires our manufacturing and research and development sites to assess and establish controls to prevent and mitigate risks to ground or surface water associated with the management of hazardous substances. For example, we conduct risk assessments against science-based discharge targets for certain active pharmaceutical ingredients (known as Predicted No Effect Concentrations or PNEC) at Pfizer and supplier manufacturing facilities.
More information about Pfizer’s efforts to assure that the research, development, manufacture, use and disposal of our medicines does not adversely affect human health or the environment, can be accessed via this link Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PIE)-Pfizer.
Removal Techniques: Could you provide insights or recommendations on technologies or processes that water treatment facilities can implement to effectively remove any residues of your pharmaceutical products from the water supply?
Effective treatment of wastewater involves the evaluation of a number of key factors including the attributes of the pharmaceutical product, flow rates, loading, contributing sources, existing treatment technology, and energy consumption, therefore there is no one size fits all solution. While residual pharmaceuticals may be present in wastewater, micropollutants from other sources should also be considered when designing and evaluating effective solutions. Depending on the molecules of concern, technologies such as oxidation, absorption, or advanced biological treatment can be effective either individually or in combination.
When evaluating our own wastewater treatment needs, Pfizer works with internal wastewater engineers, environmental experts, and external consultants who specialize in wastewater treatment.
Collaborative Efforts: What opportunities are there for collaboration between your company and water management authorities to address these concerns proactively?
We actively engage our stakeholders—including industry groups, the scientific community, regulatory agencies, patient groups, and nongovernmental organizations—to advance the knowledge of pharmaceuticals in the environment. For example, since spearheading the formation of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Industry Alliance Manufacturing Group in 2017, Pfizer continues to play a leading role in developing industry recommendations to address the potential environmental impact of antibiotic production through responsible manufacturing processes to limit AMR.
In addition to working with AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA), Pfizer is part of the Intelligence-led Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (iPiE) which combines the expertise of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), universities, research organizations, nonprofit groups and subject matter experts with the aim to develop frameworks that utilize information from toxicological studies, pharmacological mode of action and in silico models to support intelligence-based environmental testing of pharmaceuticals in development and to prioritize legacy pharmaceuticals for targeted environmental risk assessment and/or environmental (bio) monitoring.
Our collaboration with water management authorities is generally with those where we are a direct industrial discharger. Our typical approach to external engagement where we do not have a direct relationship would be through multistakeholder collaboration since this topic potentially relates to the broader pharmaceutical sector, other healthcare institutions, and other corporate sectors beyond pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
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