Pharma manufacturing tends to cause AMR in communities: Nick Voulvoulis

Changes are required both in manufacturing practices as well as in regulatory oversight, says Voulvoulis

Nick Voulvoulis is professor of environmental technology at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, London. He has collaborated with Indian institutions for research that uncovered the link between antibiotic manufacturing in the country and the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Voulvoulis, in an email interview with Sohini Das, explained how low-cost antibiotics pressure manufacturers to spend on costly waste disposal. Edited excerpts:

 

Which AMR research projects are you working on?

 

I led a project called AMRWatch, which was one of five funded projects under the India-UK Tackling AMR in the Environment from Antimicrobial Manufacturing Waste programme funded by the