Comparing the environmental impacts of paracetamol dosage forms using life cycle assessment

Abstract

A medicine can be administered in varied dosage forms which are having different environmental impacts. Two dosage forms of paracetamol (tablet and syrup) have the same function but are prepared and packaged differently, meaning that the environmental impacts arising out of their production will be of different magnitude. This study utilizes the life cycle assessment technique to find and compare the environmental impacts of two dosage forms of the paracetamol. Life cycle assessment software 'GaBi' v 8.0 has been utilized to carry out this study. Midpoint and endpoint impact assessment methods from 'ReCiPe' impact assessment method are used to carry out the life cycle impact assessment. The midpoint impact assessment results show that syrup production has 90% contribution in climate change impact category and more than 50% environment impact in fine particulate matter formation, fossil depletion, freshwater consumption, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, ionizing radiation, photochemical ozone formation, stratospheric ozone depletion, and terrestrial ecotoxicity midpoint impact categories. Tablet production has major impacts in 3 midpoint impact categories that are human toxicity, ionizing radiation, and metal depletion. Syrup production has major impacts (more than 70%) in 8 out of the 11 endpoint impact categories considered, while tablet production has a major impact in 3 impact categories that are human toxicity and ionizing radiation endpoint impact categories. Syrup production has a visibly higher impact in more number of midpoint as well as endpoint impact categories considered. The environmental hotspot is, however, dependent on the individual impact categories. The results of the study add to the existing knowledge of environmental sustainability assessment in the pharmaceutical sector and will benefit the environmental managers to better manage the environmental sustainability of pharmaceutical products.

HealthcareLCA: an open-access living database of health-care environmental impact assessments

“…A 2021 review of surgical equipment concluded that the provision and use of singleuse surgical equipment tends to have a larger environmental impact across a broad range of parameters, including GWP, acidification, eutroph ication, ozone depletion, and smog formation, compared with equivalent reusables. 21 Environmental impacts have been evaluated for a range of pharmaceutical agents, including anaesthetics, [117][118][119][120] anal gesics, 26,117,[121][122][123][124][125] antibiotics, 26,[126][127][128] antiemetics, 117 antide pres sants, 129 bronchodilators, [130][131][132] inhaled corticosteroids, 130,131 medical oxygen, 133 monoclonal antibodies, 134 muscle relax ants and reversal agents, 117 phosphodiesterase inhibitors, 135 sedatives, 117 sympathomimetics, 117 vitamins, 136 and vac cines. 137,138 Impacts were most commonly reported by kilograms of active pharmaceutical ingredient, with wide ranging estimates (2•3 kg CO 2 e for naproxen 26 to 280 000 kg CO 2 e for nivolumab; 134 appendix pp 7-8).…”

Bibliometric analysis of sustainability papers: Evidence from Environment, Development and sustainability

“…In the management area, studies have examined the circular economy (di Vaio et al, 2023 ; Mirzaei & Shokouhyar, 2022 ; Rasool et al, 2022 ), life cycle analysis (Hayek et al, 2021 ; Khaddour, 2022 ; Sharma et al, 2022 ) while only one study investigated the impact of sustainability disclosure on corporate performance (Ellili & Nobanee, 2022 ). Through a bibliometric analysis, this study was not only able to identify the most frequent sustainability topics published in Environment, Development and Sustainability , but also detect various gaps in the literature and propose paths for future research.…”