Superbactéries dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement

The report identifies a critical link between irresponsible pharmaceutical manufacturing practices in China and India and the proliferation of 'superbugs'. Field sampling in India revealed high levels of antibiotic resistance in water sources near factories owned by Aurobindo Pharma, Orchid Chemicals, and Asiatic Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. The analysis shows that these polluting sites are integrated into global supply chains, providing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished drugs to major distributors and healthcare providers in the West, including McKesson in the US and various public hospitals in France. The document argues that antimicrobial resistance is driven by three factors—medical, agricultural, and industrial—and calls for the integration of environmental criteria into Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and greater supply chain transparency.

• Field sampling conducted in June 2016 across 34 sites in Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Chennai found that 16 sites were 'bouillons de cultures de résistance aux antibiotiques'. Four sites showed resistance to three major antibiotic families: cephalosporins, carbapenems, and fluoroquinolones.
• Three specific production units were identified as 'foyers ardents de résistance': Aurobindo Pharma in Hyderabad, Orchid Chemicals in Chennai, and Asiatic Drugs and Pharmaceuticals in Delhi.
• In China, pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic fermentation is frequently repurposed as agricultural fertilizer, creating a risk of spreading resistance through the soil. For example, Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical Co. has been linked to the sale of fermentation residues to fertilizer companies like Jining Lite Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
• The global supply chain is highly opaque, with 90% of Indian medicines, including antibiotics, produced from APIs manufactured in China. This structure allows polluting practices to persist while products reach Western markets.
• Aurobindo Pharma is highlighted as a major offender, importing from polluting Chinese factories and exporting to the US and Europe. Its Unit VII in Polepally supplies Amoxicillin to the US distributor McKesson and provides products to French public hospitals via the brand Arrow Génériques.
• Current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) inspections by the EMA and US FDA focus on drug safety and quality but do not include environmental criteria, meaning factories can be certified for export while continuing to discharge pollutants.
• The report identifies a 'third cause' of antimicrobial resistance—industrial pollution—alongside the widely recognized causes of irrational medical use and prophylactic use in livestock.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2016). Superbactéries dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Superbugsinthesupply_FR.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Superbactéries dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement. 2016. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Superbugsinthesupply_FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Superbactéries dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement |date=October 2016 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Superbugsinthesupply_FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2016superbactries, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Superbactéries dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Superbugsinthesupply_FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }