Bad Medicine

It’s likely that antibiotics sold in the US are products of factories that pollute antibiotics into the atmosphere in China and India. 2015’s Bad Medicine report from SumOfUs and Changing Markets connects the dots.

Even as some major players in the pharmaceutical industry make commitments to stem the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by developing new antibiotics or reforming prescribing recommendations, many are likely aggravating the crisis in their supply chains. According to Bad Medicine, pharmaceutical pollution is a driver of AMR, along with overuse in humans and livestock. The report connects major companies like Pfizer, McKesson, Teva and Aurobindo to factories that have repeatedly been sanctioned for environmental infractions and likely polluted antibiotic active ingredients into adjacent waterways, poisoning local populations and opening the door to a global health crisis.

Read the jaw-dropping report here.