Reducing Pharmaceutical Pollution in the Baltic Sea Region (RPP Baltic Sea)
Aim
Description
Pharmaceutical pollution has emerged as a growing environmental and public health concern across Europe. Residues of medicines used in human healthcare and veterinary medicine may enter aquatic ecosystems and contribute to environmental contamination, including the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
The project RPP Baltic Sea – Reducing Pharmaceutical Pollution in the Baltic Sea Region: Analysing Use Patterns and Measures to Reduce Pollution from Human and Veterinary Use aims to strengthen regional cooperation and develop tools that promote environmentally sustainable use of pharmaceuticals in the Baltic Sea region. The project follows a One Health approach, recognising the close interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health.
The project is coordinated by Björn Wettermark from Uppsala University and brings together universities, regulatory authorities, and veterinary organisations from Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland.
Main activities
The project is organised into four interrelated work packages:
- Management and communication
The consortium will coordinate joint activities, stakeholder engagement, dissemination, and communication of project results throughout the project period. Communication activities will include stakeholder dialogues, policy discussions, social media outreach, and dissemination through partner organisations - Review of interventions in the veterinary sector
The project will conduct a systematic review of measures aimed at reducing pharmaceutical pollution originating from veterinary medicine. The review will identify interventions that have proven effective and evaluate their applicability across the Baltic Sea region - Inventory of policy measures
Researchers will identify and analyse existing eco-directed medicine-use initiatives, policies, and practices related to prescribing, dispensing, use, and disposal of pharmaceuticals in participating countries. The project will assess successful approaches and identify factors that facilitate or hinder their implementation - Drug utilisation and environmental monitoring
The consortium will map available environmental monitoring and pharmaceutical utilisation data and conduct pilot analyses comparing the use of selected pharmaceuticals with a high environmental risk profile across participating countries
Expected results
The project will:
- establish a long-term interdisciplinary network of experts and stakeholders working on pharmaceutical pollution;
- provide an overview of effective measures to reduce pharmaceutical pollution from veterinary medicine;
- map eco-directed medicine-use initiatives across Baltic Sea countries;
- identify available datasets and methods for monitoring environmentally sustainable pharmaceutical use;
- develop pilot models for visualising the environmental burden of pharmaceutical consumption;
- facilitate policy dialogue among academia, healthcare providers, regulatory authorities, environmental organisations, agricultural stakeholders, and wastewater management sectors; and
- prepare policy recommendations and policy briefs to support decision-makers in developing sustainable pharmaceutical practices.
The Role of RSU
Rīga Stradiņš University contributes expertise in public health, pharmacoepidemiology, health policy, and international research collaboration. Together with partners from Finland and Lithuania, RSU participates in identifying eco-directed medicine-use initiatives, mapping available data sources, conducting comparative analyses, and supporting stakeholder engagement activities in Latvia.
Contact at RSU
Tenured Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy
Acting Lead Researcher, Institute of Public Health
Project partnership
The consortium includes:
- Uppsala University (Sweden);
- Swedish Medical Products Agency (Sweden);
- University of Helsinki (Finland);
- Vilnius University (Lithuania);
- Rīga Stradiņš University (Latvia);
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden);
- Swedish Veterinary Agency (Sweden);
- Lithuanian National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute (Lithuania).
