Responsible antibiotic manufacturing: Future of pharma sustainability

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global population health, with the UN predicting that it could push 28.3 million people into extreme poverty by 2050 due to high treatment costs and chronic infections. The World Health Organization has declared AMR a top 10 global public health threat, particularly in India and Asia, where AMR resistance rates are high. The environment, particularly wastewater, can contribute to AMR development unless effectively controlled. In India, a lack of pollution regulation, limited expertise for measuring safe discharge concentrations, and complex wastewater processes pose unique challenges. To address this, BSI facilitated the development of a globally applicable industry standard and a certification program for antibiotics. Environmental standards and independent assessments, such as the AMRIA Manufacturing standard and BSI’s Kitemark, can provide guidance and evidence of best practices by manufacturers to counter the environmental and public health threat of AMR.