There’s strength in numbers. This is one of the constant mantras we’ve built IMPACTIVE upon. We have an amazing and diverse team, that strives to make mechanochemistry an industrial reality, and pushes for a greener pharma. However, IMPACTIVE in itself is not alone in this. Under the “Green pharmaceuticals” topic, funded by the European Union, there are 5 different projects. So, we met last week in Brussels, invited by the European Commission, to talk about the barriers and challenges that Green Chemistry faces in the pharmaceutical sector.
About the projects
The objective of the European Commission is to promote innovation that results in a greener way of manufacturing pharmaceuticals. For this reason, each one of the different projects tackles different aspects in pharma:
- SusPharma: SusPharma aims to develop sustainable, green methodologies for pharmaceutical synthesis by integrating flow chemistry, digital tools, and waste valorization. The project emphasizes eco-friendly processes to reduce waste and environmental impact.
- TransPharm: TransPharm aims at a greener pharmaceutical industry by exploiting literature data for sustainable drug synthesis, identifying eco-friendly API syntheses, reducing waste, and sharing insights to support Europe’s self-reliant, sustainable healthcare future.
- ETERNAL: ETERNAL’s overall purpose is to contribute to sustainable development of pharmaceutical manufacture, use and disposal, by using and promoting full life cycle approaches covering design, manufacture, use, and disposal.
- ENVIROMED: ENVIROMED narrows the knowledge gap of the effect of pharmaceutical compounds, and their derivatives in the environment. It enables a better understanding of their environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. Moreover, the project aims to develop a set of technologies that enable greener and more efficient pharmaceuticals production.
- IMPACTIVE: well, you know us! We’re all for using mechanochemistry to manufacture greener pharmaceuticals, by getting rid of solvents. Instead, we use mechanical force, like grinding and milling, to drive chemical reactions.
And now that you know a a little bit more about the projects, let’s see what we talked about in Brussels.
The meeting
The assistants to the meeting on December 12th were a diverse crowd: researchers from the projects, policymakers from the different Units at the European Commission, industry representatives and associations, and many more.
Irene Norstedt, Director of DG RTD, opened the day, framing the challenge ahead. The morning sessions featured insightful presentations from Momir Radulović (Slovenian Agency for Medicinal Products) and Sofie Norager (DG RTD), culminating in a lively Q&A that brought fresh perspectives from the audience.
Each project took the stage, sharing its unique progress, challenges, and aspirations. Together, their voices painted a hopeful picture of a pharmaceutical industry ready to embrace sustainability by design.
The highlight of the morning was a thought-provoking panel discussion led by Carmen Laplaza (DG RTD). Experts like Evelina Colacino (IMPACTIVE project), Kirsty Reid (Director for Science Policy at EFPIA), and representatives from DG Environment, DG GROW, and the Slovenian Agency for Medicinal Products dove into critical topics such as:
- How do we harmonize standards for sustainability?
- What role can renewable resources and biodegradable compounds play?
- How do we align policies and approval processes to accelerate the change?
The discussion also raised pressing questions:
- How do we accelerate results and move to industrialization?
- How to find a smart solution how to use an existing data?
- Are end users ready for greener pharmaceuticals?
- Can innovative technologies truly transform green pharma manufacturing?
- How do we ensure society benefits from this green transition?
- What are the costs, and where can we find additional sources of decarbonization?
After a morning of dynamic dialogue, the afternoon sessions took a focused approach, with strategic meetings involving EMA and EFPIA and working groups diving deeper into action plans.
We’re sure that this is just the beginning of an exciting journey. Together, with collaboration, innovation, and determination, we can make a real impact. And together, make green pharma a reality in Europe.
