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Asset fund manager presses pharmaceutical companies to scrutinise their supply chain practices

Written by: Supply Chain Online
Published on: 11 Oct 2016
Category:

PHARMA INDAI

Asset fund manager presses pharmaceutical companies to scrutinise their supply chain practices

The Head of Sustainable Finance at Nordea Wealth Management, Sasja Beslik, has raised concerns regarding the potential pollution caused by pharmaceutical supply chains in India.

These concerns were stated following a Nordea report on the Indian pharmaceuticals industry that was published earlier this year. The report’s authors claimed that the rivers located close to pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in the district of Hyderabad experience levels of pollution that are 70% higher than those found in the rivers and streams located beyond the plants.

According to a report in the Financial Times, the greatest concern is that a large proportion of the pollution is composed of anti-bacterial substances, including antibiotics.

Mr Beslik said: “That has a huge impact on the local population as they become resistant to medicines. This affects hundreds of thousands of people.”

As stated in the FT report, Mr Beslik was arrested last year during a trip to investigate allegations of environmental damage being caused by pharmaceutical companies in the Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Beslik, who was held for 48 hours, said that he was told by law enforcement officials that he had been taken into custody for using his satellite phone. According to the FT, however, he suspected that the real reason for his arrest was connected to his fact-finding mission.

He commented: “An official in Hyderabad told me, off the record, that if he wants to fine a company for polluting the water supply, he will be called from above and told to shut up.”

As well as having to spend time in custody and having a fine imposed, Mr Beslik said that the water samples he had collected were taken and never returned.

Mr Beslik and Nordea are now pushing large pharmaceutical companies with operations in India to examine their supply chain practices.