Innovations and challenges in pharmaceutical development and production in the face of environmental transitions

Clémentine Aubry (ARNA, LTPIB) – Angela Mutschler (LCPO, LTPIB) – Emmanuelle Barron (EPOC, LTPIB) / Université de Bordeaux

Summary:

Today, environmental transitions are disrupting established models of pharmaceutical development and production. Far from being a constraint, they represent an opportunity to transform practices and make them more sustainable. Faced with climate, energy, and regulatory challenges, the entire drug lifecycle must be reimagined. This transformation begins with eco-design, integrating choices of molecules, formulations, and processes with a lower impact from the R&D stage. It continues with the adaptation of industrial processes, logistics, and transportation to ensure more sustainable production and distribution while guaranteeing the proper use of the drug. Finally, it includes managing end-of-life, ensuring degradation into non-toxic compounds. The challenge is to build continuity of action, from design to post-use, without compromising quality, safety, or access to care. This symposium aims to analyze these developments, identify realistic levers for action, and foster the emergence of sustainable strategies by bringing together and raising awareness among both industry and external stakeholders. The central issue concerns the coherent integration of environmental imperatives across the pharmaceutical supply chain, within a still overly fragmented context. The approach is based on combining complementary perspectives: researchers, industry professionals, quality and regulatory experts, energy transition specialists, and low-carbon think tanks. Open to all, the event is aimed at all healthcare stakeholders.

Keywords: pharmaceutical development – ​​pharmaceutical production – environmental transitions – eco-design – sustainability