Prioritizing pharmaceuticals based on environmental risks in the aquatic environment in China

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology
• Pharmaceutical Science

Background:

• Detected activated pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the environment have increased globally.
• Investigating all APIs is impractical due to the large number in use (approx. 850 in China).
• Prioritization of APIs is crucial for effective environmental risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a method for ranking and prioritizing APIs in the environment.
• To identify high-concern APIs in aquatic ecosystems, especially where usage data is limited.
• To inform environmental risk management strategies for pharmaceuticals.

Main Methods:

• Utilized product number per API multiplied by average daily dose to estimate usage.
• Conducted hazard assessment including acute and chronic aquatic toxicity.
• Incorporated potential therapeutic mode of action effects into risk scoring.
• Applied the approach to 259 APIs with at least 4 products on the market.

Main Results:

• Estimated risk scores were calculated for 259 APIs.
• A priority list of 20 APIs was identified.
• Priority APIs included those targeting cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, and musculoskeletal systems, as well as antibiotics.

Conclusions:

• The developed approach effectively ranks APIs for environmental concern.
• This method provides a viable strategy for prioritizing APIs in regions with limited usage data.
• Future application in other countries/regions can enhance global pharmaceutical environmental risk assessment.