New Spotlight on CDER Science! Assessing effects of drugs in wastewater on aquatic wildlife

New Spotlight on CDER Science!  Assessing effects of drugs in wastewater on aquatic wildlife

CDER researchers have recently assessed the potential of human pharmaceuticals, after bodily excretion and entry into wastewater, to affect the endocrine (hormonal) physiology of aquatic wildlife, an important environmental problem that is not easily studied in the wild. Drawing from open-source toxicology data and computational resources, the researchers predict that among 175 pharmaceuticals that can affect estrogen pathways, several manifest properties that warrant further investigation into their pharmacological activity in fish. The researchers’ methodology should be of interest to environmental scientists as well as drug developers more broadly who must prioritize concerns surrounding the potential physiological effects of wastewater pharmaceuticals on wildlife.

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