DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals (DSP), a global leader in sustainable production of antibiotics, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi hosted a Sustainability Through Excellence in Manufacturing (STEM) workshop on advanced, clean, sustainable manufacturing and quality techniques to share best practices with participants from leading pharmaceutical companies in Malaysia. The training and education session was attended by approximately 50 participants across the Manufacturing, R&D, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Control/Assurance and Purchasing sectors.

Factors that commonly contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) include misuse and overuse of antibiotics, as well as rising industrial pollution, particularly pharmaceutical waste. The discharge of pharmaceutical waste into the environment containing antimicrobial activity can contribute to the growth of AMR, even during the production of these life-saving medicines, endangering their future efficacy. DSP recently organized similar awareness workshops on these issues with industry stakeholders in India, UAE, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

Prof. Anurag S. Rathore, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi stated: “While antibiotic resistance is a global challenge, solutions need to be determined at national and regional levels. Consumers, stakeholders and the pharmaceutical industry must be more responsive about the environmental implications of antibiotics residues in pharmaceutical effluents. Next to investments to develop new drugs, sustainable manufacturing processes must continue to develop, while ensuring that quality and affordability concerns remain addressed.”