A newly published, peer-reviewed paper from a cross-partner team of authors from the ETERNAL project assess the EU's strategy and proposed legislation for pharmaceuticals against the latest scientific knowledge about potential risks to biota and human health, identifying opportunities for strengthening the protection that it offers.

The new publication, Continuous improvement towards environmental protection for pharmaceuticals: advancing a strategy for Europe, Environ Sci Eur 37, 128 (2025), is freely-available by open access. It has been produced by a group of expert authors from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and CESAM, the Centre of Environmental and Marine Studies at the Department of Biology of the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Informed by their combined specialist knowledge of modelling complex environmental change, environmental and marine systems, and the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health, the authors have considered relevant legislative documents, associated academic and grey literature, and relevant initiatives and projects to construct a ‘call for continuous improvement’ towards environmental protection for pharmaceuticals.

Their study focuses upon a review of the differences between the current EMA guideline and the EU’s proposed regulations, and analysis of the public consultation process associated with the latter. This included systematic review and categorisation of stakeholder feedback received by the EU through multiple consultation periods between 2021 and 2023, to pinpoint common concerns, key themes, and suggested improvements.

In particular, the authors draw attention to risk assessment of mixtures, more holistic effects testing and prediction, better accounting for environmental heterogeneity, and limiting environmental emissions as the most pertinent remaining gaps from an environmental risk perspective, commenting on the importance of continuous improvement in legislation to move towards the use of such knowledge.

We share the authors’ hope that this work can play its part in promoting the necesary cross-sectoral and multi-agency discussions to maximise these shared opportunities.

Read the full text open-access article at Environmental Sciences Europe