Green Pharmacy – A Narrative Review

Toma, Alexandra; Crişan, Ofelia

doi:10.15386/cjmed-1129

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…This concept proposes a holistic approach for pharma products management. It engages the stakeholders like pharma industries, doctors and consumers who would follow scientific operating procedures that minimize the ecological pollution by medications (Toma and Crişan 2018).…”

Section: Potential Lacunae In Pharmaceutical Compounds Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative assessment of pharmaceutical drugs in a municipal wastewater and overview of associated risks

2022

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Pharmaceuticals compounds are the emerging contaminants known for their refractory and environmental persistence, which pose threat to flora and fauna. In the present study, the occurrence and possible contamination sources of four drugs, namely paracetamol, diclofenac, salbutamol and ceftriaxone in wastewater of Mysuru, India, were investigated. The said pharma compounds were analyzed in the effluent of select health care establishments and municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP). The results revealed that diclofenac was omnipresent in all the samples with the peak concentration of 4.2 µg/mL, whereas salbutamol and ceftriaxone were in the range of 0.7–18.7 µg/mL and 1.25–29.15 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, paracetamol was detected only at the inlet of MWWTP with a concentration of 4.6 µg/mL. Surprisingly, the presence of relative amounts of these drugs in the treated water released from MWWTP was observed. Further, the ‘risk quotient method’ for ecological risk assessment was adopted to assess the magnitude of risk toward aquatic species. Next, the study employed the concept of citizen science to gather information on disposal and management methods of unused and expired medications at household and health care centers. This survey revealed that hospital discharges and community disposal of unused medicines contributed to incidence of pharmaceutical compounds in the local environment. Finally, a precise perspective and future challenge for the safe management of drugs are presented.

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Section: Potential Lacunae In Pharmaceutical Compounds Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative assessment of pharmaceutical drugs in a municipal wastewater and overview of associated risks

2022

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“…Hospitals and industries are still struggling to find ways to dispose of expired medications using safe methods of waste management (Arcenciel, 2014). Nevertheless, some pharmacists have adopted the personal initiative of Green Pharmacy (Toma & Crişan, 2018).…”

Section: Dg21[s]-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharmacy education, workforce, practice, and sciences in Lebanon: Benchmarking with the FIP Development Goals

Sacre¹,

Akel

Zeenny

et al. 2021

Pharm Educ

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Background: In 2020, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) published a set of 21 global development goals (DGs) that bring together workforce/education [W], practice [P], and science [S] in a transformative framework, defining an improved and more advanced pharmacy profession for the next decade. This paper aims to benchmark the context of the Lebanese pharmacy profession with the respective elements of the FIP DGs to optimise the previously suggested strategic plan. Methods: A group of pharmacy researchers with extensive academic, professional, and post-educational experience endeavoured to map the FIP DGs with the work produced in Lebanon, describing the current situation. The documents mapped were sought from published literature and white papers developed by academia and the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon (OPL), the national pharmacists’ association. Results: This study found that efforts are necessary to bridge the gap between the current situation of the pharmacy profession in Lebanon and optimal practice. In the short term, existing projects should be immediately implemented, e.g. pharmacy curricula reforms and accreditation, post-graduate training, recognising pharmacy specialities, organising the profession, and assessing advanced competencies. In parallel, related policies and regulations should be updated. Cultural changes, involving closer ties between education and practice, are required to reform the pharmacy profession. In the medium term, a national research strategy, including early-career scientists mentoring and assessment tools validation, is necessary. Digitalising the patient profile and medication safety reporting and updating the pharmacists’ database through appropriate platforms are also essential steps toward modernising pharmacy. Conclusion: Authorities and stakeholders should combine and coordinate efforts to implement existing plans and develop necessary strategies for optimizing pharmacy education, workforce, practice, and research, which is expected to bridge the gap between the challenging current situation of the profession in Lebanon and its optimal future development, for the best of the pharmacist and the patient’s health.

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“…A number of studies have examined people's views about the idea of medicines reuse, a practice that involves re-dispensing quality-checked, unused, prescribed medication for other patients instead of disposal as waste [1][2][3][4]. This is important because a strong body of evidence shows that inappropriate disposal of unwanted medicines (e.g., disposal via domestic waste and the sewage system), in a host of countries, contributes to the contamination of soil and groundwater with a multitude of drug substances which can even make their way into drinking water [5,6]. Medicines reuse offers a potential solution to minimizing this problem, by encouraging people to return their unwanted medicines to the pharmacy, either for safe disposal or for re-dispensing to other patients [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Medicines reuse offers a potential solution to minimizing this problem, by encouraging people to return their unwanted medicines to the pharmacy, either for safe disposal or for re-dispensing to other patients [3]. Of course, there are other much more significant ways of reducing environmental contamination from medicinal products, including better research and manufacturing processes at the pharmaceutical industry level, and more responsible prescribing and dispensing practices within the community level [5]. However, medicines reuse, by encouraging people to return their medicines to the pharmacy, also has the potential to help reduce the stockpiling of medicines within patients' homes, something that can otherwise lead to accidental poisoning and inappropriate self-administration of medicines for undiagnosed conditions [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Quality Indicators on Beliefs about Medicines Reuse: An Experimental Study

et al. 2021

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Background: A number of studies have examined beliefs about medicines reuse. Although the practice is prohibited in UK community pharmacy, it does take place elsewhere in the world where it relies on visual checks of returned medicines as an indicator of their quality. One proposal is to integrate sensor technology onto medication packaging as a marker of their quality instead. Our aim was to gauge people’s beliefs about medicines reuse, in an experiment, with or without sensor technology and with or without the promise of visual checks completed by a pharmacist, as experimental conditions, should the practice be sanctioned in the UK in the future. Methods: A between participant study was designed with two independent factors testing the hypothesis that sensors and visual checks would increase pro-medicines-reuse beliefs. A questionnaire was used to measure medicines reuse beliefs and collect qualitative comments. Results: Eighty-one participants took part. Attitudes toward medication offered for reuse, participants’ perceived social pressure to accept the medication, and their intention to take part in medicines reuse all increased with the presence of sensors on packaging and with the promise of pharmacist visual checking, with the former causing a greater increase than the latter, and the combination of both making the greatest increase. People’s qualitative comments explained their concerns about medicines reuse, validating the findings. The use of sensors on medication packaging warrants further investigation if regulators are to consider approving medicines reuse in the UK.

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Green Pharmacy – A Narrative Review

Cited by 14 publications

References 64 publications

Quantitative assessment of pharmaceutical drugs in a municipal wastewater and overview of associated risks

Quantitative assessment of pharmaceutical drugs in a municipal wastewater and overview of associated risks

Pharmacy education, workforce, practice, and sciences in Lebanon: Benchmarking with the FIP Development Goals

The Effect of Quality Indicators on Beliefs about Medicines Reuse: An Experimental Study

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