Bad Medicine

The report argues that the pharmaceutical industry is fueling the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis through the unmonitored dumping of antibiotic-laden waste into the environment during the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). It highlights a 'three-tier chain' where raw materials from China are processed in India and then sold to global markets. The document identifies specific polluting factories in China—including NCPC, CSPC/Inner Mongolia Changsheng, and Sinopharm—and links them to major companies such as Pfizer, Teva, and McKesson. It concludes that current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are insufficient because they lack environmental criteria, and calls for greater supply chain transparency and the integration of environmental protection into global pharmaceutical standards.

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat that could result in 10 million deaths per year by 2050 and a global economic loss of up to US$100 trillion in output by mid-century.
• China dominates the global supply of antibiotic raw materials, producing 80-90 percent of antibiotic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
• A 'three-tier chain' exists in the global API market where raw materials originate in China, are processed by Indian companies, and are then exported as finished products to the United States and Europe.
• The dumping of antibiotic waste from manufacturing plants creates environments that accelerate the proliferation of multi-drug-resistant bacteria, which can then spread globally via travel, trade, and food products.
• The report identifies specific links between major pharmaceutical brands and polluting Chinese factories: Pfizer has sourced human antibiotics from NCPC; Teva has sourced from Inner Mongolia Changsheng and United Laboratories; and McKesson is linked to polluting sites via its supplier Aurobindo.
• Current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) frameworks, required for access to EU and US markets, are inadequate for preventing AMR because they do not include environmental protection criteria.
• Pharmaceutical supply chains are characterized by a severe lack of transparency, with companies often treating supplier information as trade secrets under non-disclosure agreements.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2015). Bad Medicine. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BAD-MEDICINE-Report-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Bad Medicine. 2015. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BAD-MEDICINE-Report-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Bad Medicine |date=June 2015 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BAD-MEDICINE-Report-FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2015bad, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Bad Medicine}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BAD-MEDICINE-Report-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }