Abstract:

One of the most significant developments over the last decade has been the growing importance of environmental considerations. This has affected all walks of industrial life and there can be few manufacturing companies that have not been exposed to these pressures. The pharmaceutical industry, with its unique role in the provision of healthcare, has probably experienced these intrusive elements more than any other sector. In addition to the universal demands for pollution-free factories and risk-free products, pharmaceutical companies have had to suffer harsh jibes like "profiteering from illness". When this particular concept first surfaced, manufacturers were ill-prepared to meet such an abrasive style of criticism (and probably lost the first few rounds as a result). However, since those early skirmishes, the industry has learned fast and marshalled its counter-arguments well.