One measure of changing public focus is when words become part of our common lexicon. The addition of “carbon footprint” and “green collar” to the latest edition of the Merriam Webster dictionary, released last month, reflects not only the acceptance of “greenspeak” in our communication, but more importantly its integration into mainstream activities. That sentiment was evident at the Green Pharma Summit, which was held last month in Philadelphia, where pharmaceutical and government officials shared their involvement in sustainability practices for pharmaceutical manufacturing and drug-product life-cycle management.

Where does the pharmaceutical industry stand in terms of green manufacturing? A widely used and established green metric is the E factor, developed by Roger Sheldon, professor emeritus at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, which evaluates the “greenness” of a manufacturing route by the process efficiency of a reaction. The E factor is simply the mass ratio of waste to desired product. A higher E factor means more waste and a more negative environmental impact. Given the complexity of molecules used as active pharmaceutical ingredients, both in terms of the synthesis itself and related purification, the pharmaceutical industry as a whole has a high E factor compared with other industrial chemical manufacturing segments. The E factor for bulk chemicals ranges from 1–5, and for fine chemicals, 5-50, but for the pharmaceuticals, the E factor ranges from 25-100 (1).

As the speakers at the Green Pharma Summit revealed, one way to improve the industry’s green scorecard is to improve process efficiency, which is not only favorable for an improved environmental profile, but also for the bottom line. Speakers from Pfizer, Schering-Plough, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson shared their approaches and strategies for building an awareness of green chemistry and how to implement it in process research and development and manufacturing. Speakers also addressed sustainability practices in the life-cycle management of a pharmaceutical product. The September issue of Pharmaceutical Technology will share some of these insights, which include replacing solvents and using biocatalysis to improve manufacturing routes. Certain organizational approaches are examined as well by which pharmaceutical companies could build sustainability into their operations. We also will look at how the US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory is facilitating efforts in developing green and sustainable practices in pharmaceutical chemical synthesis, including the use of new paradigms for manufacturing such as continuous processing.

By sharing best practices and practical solutions, perhaps we will be able to add a new phrase, which arose at the conference, to our green vocabulary in the context of pharmaceutical manufacturing and the life cycle of drug products, “Benign by Design” pharmaceuticals. A lofty goal? For sure. A feasible one? We will see.

Reference
1. R. Sheldon, I. Arends, U. Hanefield, Green Chemistry and Catalysis (Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany, 2007), p 3.