The main objectives of the initiative, a European Commission communication foreseen for 2018, will be to 1) identify remaining knowledge gaps and uncertainties, and present possible solutions for filling them; and 2) explore how to address the challenge to protect the environment (and human health via the environment) and at the same time safeguard access to effective and appropriate pharmaceutical treatments for human patients and animals, considering inter alia the opportunities for innovation. The strategic approach will aim to address pharmaceuticals in the environment generally (water, soils). It could include policy options relating to a number of different areas, given that emissions of pharmaceutical substances to the environment occur during their whole lifecycle, i.e. from production through consumption to disposal. Existing legislation already provides a fairly comprehensive framework, but it might be appropriate to consider its effectiveness in relation to this specific issue. EuCheMS recently debated these issues at the workshop From Waste to Health.

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/