Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry creates products that ameliorate and cure many diseases and conditions that affect the health of humans. The process of creating pharmaceuticals and bringing them to market includes several steps in research and development, clinical tests, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution. As part of this process, the [Page 370]pharmaceutical industry uses many chemicals and processes that create wastes, chemical syntheses, and by-products that can adversely impact the environment. The pharmaceutical industry is widely considered to be one of the most highly regulated existing commercial markets, with governmental oversight extending into aspects of research, product development, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and sales. Until recently, however, much of this regulation has focused on the safety and reliability of the pharmaceuticals manufactured and not on the environmental impact of the process. The green movement has impacted the pharmaceutical industry in that it seeks to reduce the amount of negative ecological impact resulting from the synthesis, manufacture, packaging, and distribution of drugs that are approved as medications. As environmental concerns have attained increasing attention, governments, private industry, and consumers have all sought ways to ensure that the pharmaceutical industry engages in sustainable practices when producing items for consumption.

While many cutting-edge developments within Western medicine have greatly improved the general quality of life for a significant portion of the global populace, pharmaceutical manufacturers have been accused by environmental activists and sympathizers of burying over 500 million pounds of research-grade chemical compounds, and releasing over 250 million pounds of toxic waste into public waterways, thereby contaminating drinking water supplies. Also contributing to this problem is the over-prescription of certain medications and use of drug therapy treatments in place of, rather than as a supplement to, behavioral therapy practices. Though the effects of these discarded drugs on humans are not known, such contaminations can adversely affect plant and animal species in the natural environment. Once powerful antibiotics and other medications are excreted from the human body, they may still have the potential to be damaging to the drinking water supply and natural biosphere. These practices, along with the perceived influence of pharmaceutical industry lobbyists advocating stronger patent laws and tax benefits within political spheres, have helped foster some criticism and skepticism directed toward Western medicinal practices among the general public. Nevertheless, many individuals and institutions continue to place faith in the pharmacological development of new drug treatments, as advances within Western medicine now render manageable many diseases once considered fatal.

The pharmaceutical industry comprises a collection of international corporations that develop, manufacture, patent, license, and market drugs that possess positive medicinal attributes. Unlike many other industries, pharmaceutical manufacturers are regulated by government agencies to ensure consumer health and safety. To this end, government regulators such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promulgate rules that are intended to protect and promote their citizens’ health and well-being. Government regulators require the pharmaceutical industry to demonstrate that their products are both safe and effective before their sale to consumers is permitted. As a result, companies within the pharmaceutical industry must carefully work with regulators and comply with their directives to ensure consumer safety as well as ethical businesses practices. Failure to comply with the regulatory system may result in fines, some of which are for hundreds of millions of dollars, and open the manufacturer to potential litigation.

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