Toward sustainable therapeutics: integrating regenerative medicine into pharmacological sustainability frameworks

Pharmaceutical sustainability often focuses on green manufacturing yet reducing long-term drug dependency remains overlooked. Chronic pharmacotherapy imposes a considerable clinical, economic, and environmental burden, as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) pollute global ecosystems. In this review, we examine the most clinically applied biological therapies, specifically cell-based therapies and blood-derived products, as a potential 'drug-sparing' strategy that shifts the therapeutic paradigm from controlling symptoms toward modifying the disease. Although the current evidence is limited and largely indirect, integrating regenerative medicine into pharmacological sustainability frameworks could help mitigate the environmental footprint of modern medicine while improving long-term patient outcomes and the sustainability of the healthcare system.