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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drugs Outcomes Research and Policies
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1515318
This article is part of the Research Topic Clinical Pharmacist Service Promotes the Improvement of Medical Quality Volume II View all 33 articles

Ecopharmacovigilance future opportunities and challenges: A scoping review

Provisionally accepted
Michael Demian Michael Demian 1,2*
  • 1 Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
  • 2 Master's student, Alexandria, Egypt

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: While extensive safety and toxicology studies typically explore the adverse effects on human and animal health, the potential environmental implications of pharmaceuticals are little understood and have only lately drawn attention from researchers globally and in the Middle East (ME). Objectives: Our objectives are to describe the scope of ecoPharmacovigilance (EPV) worldwide, assess the concept of ecoPharmacovigilance in the ME, and to investigate the ways the consequences of ecoPharmacovigilance could be minimized worldwide in general and in the ME. Methods: We conducted this scoping review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. Studies were eligible if they assessed ecopharmacovigilance scope, if they addressed the concept of ecoPharmacovigilance in the ME, and if studies investigated the ways the consequences of EcoPharmacovigilance could be minimized worldwide in general and in the ME. Non-English studies were excluded for the fear that inappropriate translation could alter the study's context. Results: In total, 616 records were retrieved from the electronic database search. After removing 49 duplicates and applying automation tools, the total was 567 records. We screened the records by title and abstract, 506 sources were assessed for eligibility. The records initially eligible were assessed by full text. Reports sought for full text retrieval were 61 records. The final number of studies included in the review was 32 studies. None of the included studies was conducted in the ME. Most included studies were conducted in European countries (e.g. Sweden, Germany, UK and Chile), Brazil, South Africa, and China. Key obstacles involve inadequate knowledge and insufficient advice from the dispensers concerning safe disposal practices, the absence of regulations regarding the disposal of drugs in some countries, and lack of pharmaceutical waste management teamwork. Opportunities for change include a collaborative effort to address EPV by each of the legislative authorities, pharmaceutical companies and patients.

    Keywords: Ecopharmacovigilance, "Middle East", Environmental Exposure, Challenges, Opportunities and barriers

    Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 04 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Demian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Michael Demian, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.