Sustainability in clinical trials

3:45 PM - 4:15 PM

The climate crisis is a significant threat to planetary health, with the healthcare sector accounting for about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This necessitates prioritising sustainability while improving human health. Clinical research currently generates approximately 100 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, equivalent to Belgium's yearly emissions. To achieve CO2 reduction in the healthcare sector, decarbonisation of clinical trials is necessary. The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Taskforce suggests that regulators should include green criteria and CO2 emissions as metrics in medicines and clinical trials approval processes. AstraZeneca has already taken steps to assess and reduce CO2 emissions in clinical trials, conducting the world's first lifecycle analysis (LCA) of three Phase 3 trials across therapeutic areas to identify drivers of the trials' carbon footprint. This session will present the LCA results, discuss SMI recommendations on implementing digital solutions and the essential role played by regulators in decarbonising clinical trials.