In a boost for the pharmaceutical industry, a European Union Advocate General recommended annulling part of a directive that requires drug and cosmetics manufacturers to finance at least 80% of the costs of wastewater treatment.
The directive, which revised an earlier version and went into effect early last year, was designed to protect human health and the environment from harmful discharges of urban wastewater and ensure cleaner rivers, lakes, groundwater, and coasts across Europe. The effort was projected to save about $7.5 billion annually by 2040.
A key portion of the initiative is a “quaternary treatment stage” that involves removing micropollutants — which are mostly created by pharmaceuticals and cosmetics — from wastewater. Member states must ensure that companies contribute to programs to deal with the waste they generate by December 2028.
