Thoré, Eli
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- University of Namur
BackgroundThe current scientific discourse on environmental impacts of veterinary medicines mostly focuses on ectoparasiticides. Meanwhile, the environmental impacts of widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of human and animal parasitic vector-borne diseases (PVBD) remain largely unexplored. There is thus a need for evidence-based information to support guidelines and protocols for sustainable One Health PVBD drug development and use, while promoting greener research practices. Here, we reflect on the potential environmental impacts of PVBD drugs in current use, and the environmental impact of our research practices for developing new antiparasitics.MethodsWe conducted a survey to assess the current appreciation of sustainable drug design concepts and the extent to which One Health and sustainability principles are integrated into PVBD drug discovery and development. The survey also explored which human, technical, and funding resources are currently used in Europe and neighbouring countries in PVBD drugs research. The analysis and reflection are developed within the “One Health drugs against parasitic vector borne diseases in Europe and beyond” Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action 21111 (OneHealthdrugs).ResultsThe survey response rate was 66%, from 32 countries, predominantly European. 87% of participating collaborators worked in Academia; research groups were small (60% with 1-4 researchers) and mostly consist of few researchers, mostly at early career stages (63%
Drug discovery; Ecotoxicology; Environmental impact; One Health; Parasitic vector-borne diseases
Open Research Europe
2024, volume: 4, article number: 207
Environmental Sciences
Pathobiology
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132807