Ecopharmacology:a new important topic for Pharmacovigilance.

Ecopharmacovigilance is a new issue of great interest. It can be defined as the science and activities concerning detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or other problems related to the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment, which effect both human and the other animal species. During the 20th century, thousands of chemicals have been introduced into the market and used in everyday life, in industry and agriculture. This was ‘blindly’ carried out without considering the direct and indirect consequences on human health, on animals species and on the environment. Every year an estimate of 100.000 tons antibiotics are used all over the world. Many drugs are available on the market and their number keeps growing. Today, approximately 3000 different pharmaceuticals are commonly used in Europe. Drugs affect environmental organisms and are present in drinking and surface water. The presence of widely dispersed drugs and drug metabolites in the environment poses a potential direct, and indirect, risk to humans. - The nature and extent of the potential risks must be further investigated and assessed. - Safe disposal of medicines must be promoted, and appropriate facilities set up and used. - Further measures may have to be taken to reduce drug discharge into environment, including education. - The promotion of rational drug use should reduce the volume of medicines finding their way into the environment.