The authors are responsible for the veracity of the facts stated and the views and opinions expressed in this report. Responsibility for these should not be attributed to the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program, the Zaragoza Logistics Center, DFID or the policy directors and funders of these research institutes.

Genotoxic compounds induce genetic mutations and/or chromosomal rearrangements and can therefore act as carcinogenic compounds (McGovern and Jacobson-Kram, 2006). These compounds cause damage to DNA by different mechanisms such as alkylation or other interactions that can lead to mutation of the genetic codes. In general, chemists employ the terms "genotoxic" and "mutagenic" synonymously; howev...

Recently the concerns about environmental contaminants has widened to include not just persistent organic pollutants like pesticides (POPs) but pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) as well. PPCPs encompass a broad class of chemicals, ranging from over-the-counter and prescription drugs, to sunscreen and fragrances. Unlike priority pollutants, most PPCPs are not lipophilic, so they...

© 2016 Joule Inc. or its licensors CMAJ 1 Competing interests: Mandar Jog reports honoraria from Merz Pharmaceuticals, Allergan and AbbVie; and grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Academic Medical Organization of Southwestern Ontario, Lawson Health Research Institute, AGE-WELL Networks of Centres of Excellence, Merz Pharmaceuticals and Boston Scientific. He occasionally serv...

The worldwide heavy use of veterinary pharmaceuticals in confined animal-feeding operations has resulted in annual discharge of 3,000–27,000 tons of drug chemicals via livestock manure into the environment. More than 50 major antibiotics have been detected in poultry, swine, cattle, and horse manures at 0.01–765 mg kg 1 dry manure mass. In animal manures, most veterinary pharmaceuticals degrade...

Pharmaceuticals is a relatively large and mature industry, and of growing significance. The industry has stimulated extensive research on determinants of its growth and development. Specifically, the distribution of firm size has attracted significant attention, due to its relevance as an indicator of degree of industrial concentration. A large part of this literature has focused, since the ear...

The World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) set global minimum standards for the protection of intellectual property, substantially increasing and expanding intellectual-property rights, and generated clear gains for the pharmaceutical industry and the developed world. The question of whether TRIPS generates gains for developing coun...

The importance of natural products in therapeutics has been generally recognized from immemorial time. The Amerindians' knowledge of hallucinogenic plants used for their religious rituals, as well as the aphrodisiac properties of several potions prepared from several plant species, have accompanied man for millennia. Throughout the ages, the search for the well-being and for the pleasure has al...

Facilities involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are an under-investigated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Between 2004 and 2009, 35 to 38 effluent samples were collected from each of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals including opioids and muscle relaxants. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive substantial flows...