Pharma manufacturing pollution associated with drug resistance, notes research

A study, published in the journal Infection, has linked the pollution of bulk drug manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad, India, with the presence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria.

Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a severe issue globally, exerting more pressure on already stretched healthcare systems, threatening the effective prevention and treatment of infections and compromising success rates of surgery, as noted by the World Health Organisation. As various human behaviours have been linked to an acceleration of antimicrobial resistance, the study authors highlighted the importance of identifying sources of MDR bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes.

Moreover, the study authors highlighted other research that has shown that the environment surrounding bulk drug manufacturing plants as a source of resistant organisms, particularly in India and the People’s Republic of China, which are major producers of global antibiotics.

In the study, led by Christoph Lübbert, it was found that from the 28 samples taken (comprising 23 environmental, 4 tap water and 1 bore-hole water samples) all of the environmental samples contained extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) as well as carbapanemase-producing bacteria. Additionally, the environmental samples analysed in the study contained very high concentrations of clinically relevant antibiotics and antifungal agents.

Ten of the samples were taken from the direct vicinity of bulk drug manufacturing plants and a sample that was taken from the Musi River, which flows through the city and is the last stretch of water where waste is released, contained the highest amount of antimicrobial agents and MDR bacterial strains.

These results have important implications for the population in Hyderabad and surrounding areas but also as multidrug resistance can be transported within humans and animals who have been exposed it has global significance. Further, they demonstrate that waste produced from bulk drug manufacturing plants and the presence of MDR bacteria are strongly associated.

In conclusion, the authors stressed that Europe needs to take an active stance on the pollution levels from these major drug manufacturing locations and that regulations on the manufacturing processes must be implemented to ensure adherence to environmental laws.