PhD student Laura Culkin and Prof Cristín Ryan, from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, attended the six-monthly consortium meeting of the PREWAPHARM (Prevention of Water Pollution by Pharmaceuticals) project in Luxembourg in April this year.
PREWAPHARM is a European Interreg North-West Europe initiative that brings together researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders from across Europe to address the growing challenge of pharmaceutical pollution in the environment. As medicine consumption continues to increase, so too does the presence of pharmaceutical residues in water systems. Up to 90% of orally administered medicines, including antibiotics and hormones, can enter water systems after use. These residues may disrupt aquatic ecosystems, influence antibiotic resistance, and hinder clean drinking water production. The initiative aims to develop and implement practical interventions that reduce the release of these residues into the environment while supporting more sustainable healthcare practices.
Over two days, project partners from Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France came together to share progress, discuss ongoing work packages, plan future activities, and participate in a field visit to a wastewater treatment plant. As part of these discussions, Laura provided an update on ongoing research activities at Trinity College Dublin, including a literature review exploring healthcare professionals’ perspectives on interventions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of medicines. She also shared progress on efforts to obtain Irish prescribing data and provided updates on ethics submissions related to upcoming PREWAPHARM research activities in Ireland.
The next consortium meeting will take place in Ghent, Belgium, in October 2026. For more information about the PREWAPHARM project, visit the project website: https://prewapharm.nweurope.eu/
