PREMIER’s 7th General Assembly Meeting present the progress made towards sustainable pharmaceuticals

The beautiful city of York, United Kingdom, played host to the 7th General Assembly Meeting of PREMIER on the 11th, 12th and 13th of September 2023. This milestone event brought together all the public and private partners to discuss progress towards the development of a digital assessment system to assess the environmental impacts of pharmaceuticals.

Building on past successes

Taking place in the historic city of York, the 7th General Assembly Meeting (GAM7) followed in the successful steps of the last face-to-face GAM in Milan last year. It’s an important milestone for the PREMIER project. Consortium partners and Scientific Advisory Members came together to share and celebrate the progress made during the first phases of this ambitious project and to present the importance of studying and predicting environmental risks of pharmaceuticals.

The meeting was held in a unique setting that enriched discussions and celebrated progress. The focus was on presenting the advancements achieved during the first mid-term of the project. Discussions were not limited to past achievements; they also centered around current challenges and future opportunities to enhance the project’s success. This meeting allowed participants to consolidate networks and synergies that had been developing since the project’s beginning.

Deep-Dive into Project Implementation

Aside from 2 days plenary sessions, the third day was dedicated to working group discussions. The experts engaged in various sub-work packages came together in breakout sessions. These sessions facilitated in-depth discussions on specific topics related to project implementation. The exchange of ideas and insights during these sessions was instrumental in projecting the course for the project’s future.

Empowering Early Career Researchers (ECRs)

An important added value is highlighted by the significant contributions of PREMIER’s early career researchers (ECRs). These promising talents actively contributed to project activities, presenting their work during both plenary sessions and work package-specific sessions. Their contributions spanned across all aspects of PREMIER, from prioritizing and assessing pharmaceutical environmental impacts to developing greener pharmaceuticals and guidelines for medicinal chemists.

Guidance from the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)

Members of the PREMIER Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) played a crucial role in the event. They actively participated in discussions and provided valuable advice to all partners. A dedicated SAB feedback session allowed individual SAB members to share their insights on PREMIER’s progress and offer guidance on the next steps and opportunities.

Looking Ahead

As the GAM7 concluded, the PREMIER consortium looks forward to the future with optimism and determination. The commitment to advancing sustainable pharmaceutical practices and minimizing the environmental footprint of medicines remains unwavering.

Stay tuned for more updates on PREMIER’s journey towards a better environmental assessment of pharmaceutical ingredients.