Pfizers miljö- och ansvarsblogg

PiE and the the Swedish National Environmental Objectives

Kategorier: Miljö

The All Party Committee on Environmental Objectives’ expert group for Pharmaceuticals and Environmental issues met on Friday (Nov 11). It is a broadly assembled group, with representatives from all relevant stakeholders in society. This allows for very interesting and “energetic” discussions. Very stimulating! Friday’s meeting included discussions on the balance between international actions and national ones. Which relevant proposals for new objectves, both global as well as national, within the area of “A Non-Toxic Environment” should the expert group provide to the All Party Committee? Not very surprsing, discussions of course included MPA’s proposal on inclusion of environmental requirements into GMP, and also another MPA proposal from their report in Dec 2009, namely the use of Environmental Risk Assessments (ERAs) in the risk/benefit-evaluation in the authorization process for human medicines. But we also discussed green economic incentives within the pricing and reimbursement system which is being under review by Sofia Wallström presently. The All Party Committee cannot of course comment to much on the issue since it is being under review, but the issue should nevertheless not be left completely without comments. Another national topic discussed in the group is the potantial need for additional treatment steps in waste water treatment facilities. Such societal investments should not only be benefical for any pharmaceutical residues in the waste water but also for “chemicals of concern”, e.g. endocrine disruptors.

It will be interesting to see how the discussions continue and over the coming months, and to see the final document from the All Party Commitee on Environmental Objectives on June 15, 2012.

Stay tuned for more information as the process continues.

MistraPharma Board Meeting in Umeå

Kategorier: Andras arbete, Miljö

The Board of the MistraPharma project met at Umeå University today. Host for the meeting was Mats Tysklind, one of the project managers of MistraPharma. The Board meeting itself was fairly fast today. We were all of course very pleased that Mistra has granted an additional 4 years to the project, and the important decision items on the meeting was Program Plan, list of deliverables, and budget. Although those discussions of course were interesting they could not compete with the laboratory tour after lunch.

It was a real pleasure to follow Mats and his coworkers Jerker Fick and Richard Lindberg to the laboratories of the Environmental & Biogeochemistry group at the Chemistry Department, at KBC (Kemiskt-Biologiskt Centrum) at the university.

Richard in action

Richard demonstrated some developed methods to isolate pharmaceutical residues from waste water. Some of the critical activities for MistraPharma’s success that have been undertaken by Mats and his coworkers are the development of analytical methods allowing for testing of 120 APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingridients) in water samples and extracts. We were all impressed while listening to Richard and Jerker presenting their work. In the picture below you see Mats and Christina Rudén (MistraPharma’s program director) listening to Jerker’s explanations.

Jerker, Mats and Christina

Richard then took us in to the analytical laboratory where they have their LC (liquid chromatography)and MS (mass spectroscopy) equipment. It was fascinating to see the enormous efficiency increase in testing, going from the lab bench into full automation.

Richard proudly presents...

We then got an update of some of the most recent results from their work. Very interesting data I can promise. Looking forward to see the final publications!

Thanks to Mats, Jerker, and Richard for an interesting day at the research laboratory. It is just to seldom that I put my shoes in the laboratory nowadays…

Pharmaceuticals and Environment at Läkemedelskongressen

Kategorier: Andras arbete, Miljö, Pfizers egna arbete, Socialt ansvar

I have today acted both as moderator and lecturer in a Pharmaceuticals and the Environment session at Läkemedelskongressen, arranged by the Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. It has definitely been an interesting day. It started with introductory remarks by Anders Blanck, managing director for LIF (the research based pharmaceutical industry in Sweden). Anders said something very thought worthy about good, safe and rational use of pharmaceuticals. Of course he stressed the importance of providing the correct medicine and dosage, at the right time, to the right patient, but he also stressed the importance of the price of the medicine, equal care and treatment, and not the least environmental impacts. This was of course a prefect introduction to today’s key note address from Joakim Larsson from Sahlgrenska Akademin, at University of Gothenborg.

Joakim Larsson

I have mentioned Joakim’s research several times here at the blog. See for instance the following blog posts: Aug 16 2010, Jan 20 2011, Feb 18 2011, and Jul 4 2011. Joakim gave as always a very interesting, and horryfying, description of the situation at the Patancheru waste water treatment plant outside Hyderabad, in India. He decribed the risks with releases of active pharmaceuticals ingridients to the environment, focusing on the risks for antimicrobial resistance development. He also stressed the importance of collaborations between all parties in order to manage the situation.

Several actors involved...

He finished the key note speech with a slide summarizing the challenges:

Some challenges

As a moderator for the break-out session focusing in more detail on pharmaceuticals and the environment I then gave a short summary on “what is going on” in EU and here in Sweden when it comes to pharmaceuticals in the environment, e.g.:

- EU Water Framework Directive, which may come to include specific pharmaceutical substances

- The EU Pharmas project

- The MistraPharma project

- The Swedish MPA proposal on inclusion of environmental requirements into GMP

- The All Party Committee on Environmental Objectives

- The National Pharmaceutical Strategy

- Sofia Wallström’s review

After the my introduction, Åke Wennmalm from SustainPharma (and previously environemntal director att Stockholm County Council) gave us some detailed insight in environmental risk assessments on pharmaceuticals substances. You can read more on this link to the classification scheme on fass.se.

Åke Wennmalm

Åke also added some of our latests thoughts upon environmental assessments of the whole products. This has been the topic for several discussions during the last 6 months (see blog posts from Sept 28, Sept 1, May 17, May 11, and March 28).

In order for the industry to provide “green products” it is of greatest importance to utilize a green chemistry toolbox. Eva Jacobsson from AstraZeneca helped us to realize the large opportunities in green chemistry when it comes to lower the environmental impacts from manufacturing operations.

Eva Jacobsson, AZ

Eva gave us very good insight in AstraZeneca’s work processes to greening the manufacturing processes, as early as possible during the development phase.

Green Chemistry at AZ

But she also discussed Green Drug Design, very interesting. However really difficult… Could we possibly be successful in desiging the substances perfectly from an environmental point of view from the beginning, e.g. easily degradable substances, with low toxicity and no potential for bioaccumulation?

Green Drug Design

We then expanded our scope of discussion by looking into another industrial sector - textile and clothing. As always it was a real pleasure to listen to Renée Andersson from Indiska.

Renee Andersson, Indiska

I have listened to Renée’s experiences from her work with Indiska’s supply chain several times before (see for instance my blog post from Aug 26, 2010) and it is my clear opinion that we as an industry have a lot to learn from Indiska and their peers. Which is not really surprising since they have been dealing with these issues, in very much detail, years before it came up high on our industry agenda.

It was then my turn to enter the stage as a lecturer. I tried both to summarize reflections from the previous speakers, and to look into the future. What are our challenges of tomorrow, and what will our agenda look like in the coming 10 years?

I am on stage...

My final, summarizing slide was this one, where I discuss several aspects of pharmaceuticals and the environment which I believe will be crucial for our future success.

A very interesting day, with good presentations and discussions!

CSR training session at SWETIC

Kategorier: Andras arbete, Miljö, Pfizers egna arbete, Socialt ansvar

Yesterday I participated in a CSR-training session at SWETIC (Swedish Association for Testing, Inspection, and Certification). SWETIC’s own presentation of the session can be found here.

After a brief introduction by Magnus Davidsson from SWETIC, Mattis Bergquist from Only R, gave some introductory remarks to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) as a concept.

Mattis presents CSR as a concept

After the introduction to CSR from Mattis, I presented Pfizer’s sustainability platform, as a business case for CSR. If you have followed my blog over recent years you have become fairly familiar with our work. If you have not, I recommend that you follow these links:

- Pfizer’s corporate webpage, “Doing business responsibly”

- Pfizer’s Swedish webpage, where you will find information on our sustainability initiatives (in Swedish) in three levels:

– Level 1: “Pfizer och Ansvarsfullt företagande”

– Level 2: “CSR- och miljöarbete - en central del av vårt ansvarstagande”

– Level 3: “Hållbarhetsarbete i praktiken”

You could also read my two blogposts from October 11 back in 2009. There I give general information on our CSR and environmental initiatives under the title “Pfizer and Corporate Responsibility, Part 1” and “Pfizer and Corporate Responsibility, Part 2“. Somethings have of course developed since then, but the general idea still holds true.

Mattis entered the stage again after my presentation, and he went into more details on the different standards, rules, legislative tools etc. within the field of CSR.

Different rules, standards etc on CSR

Regardless of which system a company chooses to base their CSR-program upon, management commitment is of course crucial. Johannes Ingerby from The Information Company presented tools to secure management buy-in, commitment, and focus.

CSR as an opportunity or a risk...

Johannes, who has a great deal of experience in the field, told us that unfortunately still most management teams look upon CSR as “a risk to be managed”. Hence, it is rather being controlled than being used as a strategic business objective. He nevertheless presented balanced score cards for using CSR as a strategic business measure, in addition to a control card where CSR-issues are one of many measures to follow.

Johannes Ingerby from The Information Company

We then got the opportunity to listen to Åsa Edman from the governmental procurement investigation. The investigation, which should be reported no later than June 28, 2012, will review both financial as well as political perspectives of public procurement. Within the frame of “political considerations”, both social and environmental criteria will be looked upon. Åsa then gave the word to Lisa Sennström från Miljöstyrningsrådet, MSR, (in English: The Swedish Environmental Management Council). MSR have developed several guidance documents for social and environmental criteria in public procurement. One of the areas where such criteria have been developed is for pharmaceuticals. You can read my reflections on this matter in a number of my previous blog posts. Read for instance my blog post from Sept 8 this year, and follow the links within that blog post for further details.

The training session ended with further discussions on ISO 26000, and whether or not it will be certifiable, verifiable or nothing of that kind at all… The discussion was led by Dag Sjöholm from SP who acts as chairman on “SIS‘ verifying group of ISO 26000″. Read more regarding my views on this debate in the blog post from Nov 26, 2010, and via the links within that blog post.

Thanks SWETIC for interesting discussions on several aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility!

The Swedish Innovation Strategy and Social Innovation

Kategorier: Andras arbete, Miljö, Pfizers egna arbete, Socialt ansvar

Ministry for Enterprise, Energy and Communications arranged a breakfast seminar today on social innovation and entrepreneurship. The seminar is part of ongoing activities within the framework of the development of a Swedish National Innovation Strategy, which is to be presented in 2012.

Håkan Ekengren, State Secretary at the Ministry, welcomed us all and gave a brief introduction on social inovation in general and the connection to the National Innovation Strategy specifically. He stressed the importance of both social innovation and social entrepreneurship, and hoped that the introductory lectures by Eva Engquist (from Malmö University and “Mötesplatsen för Social innovation och samhällsentreprenörskap“), myself, and Lars Jannick Johansen (President and founder of “Den Sociale Kapitalfond” in Denmark), and the following work-shop should result in several good ideas and experiences to bring into the development of the Innovation Strategy.

The panelists of today

Eva Engquist gave us her insight in the whole area of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. She saw three drivers for the strong focus on social innovation presently:

1. Ongoing financial crises in US and Europe, on the same time as the societal needs and demands upon society probably never have been larger. Ageing populations, unemployment rates, increasing poverty, and environmental problems are just a number of challenges facing societies.

2. Increasing pressure from NGOs, e.g. environmental organizations

3. The Social Media revolution

Some of the areas where Eva told us Malmö Univeristy and “Mötesplatsen” are focusing are perspectives of management and organizational issues of social innovation, but also financing issues and the need for development of new business models.

In my lecture I fully agreed with Eva on the need for development of new business models in order for social innovation to become successful. I gave examples from health care and the pharmaceutical industry, of which you can read more via this links:

- “Prevention of illnesses and creation of wellbeing”

- “Social innovation and social entrepreneurship”

- “4 steps to a sustainable use of pharmaceuticals”

- “CSR - en intregrerad del av affären”

Lars Jannick Johansen described the huge potential he sees in social enterprises and social innovation. Just bear in mind that the social economy is roughly 10% of the total GNP in Europe. That is a large market… He told us that Sweden has a lot to learn from e.g. UK when it comes to “financial innovations” which would help social innovation and entrepreneurship to further develop.

We then divided up into 6 work groups and discussed e.g.:

- what social innovation actually means

- which parties are involved and which ones are not but should be involved

- experiences to be shared

- in which areas we feel that social innovation is of extra importance for Sweden

Some of the common conclusions from the discussions were

- the need for both social innovation and entrepreneurship. The innovation needs a business case in order to be successful

- collaboration between all different parties in society is crucial for success

- areas of extra importance to Sweden include the ageing population and the healthcare sector, environmental matters, youth, and integration.

It was a very good breakfast seminar and I hope this was just a start of a very interesting process!