Compare and choose from equally effective medicines the safest alternative for the environment.

Do you need information on the environmental impacts of medicines to support decision-making? Do you want to make responsible choices in situations where more than one effective and safe medicine is available to treat a disease or its symptoms?

The environmental classification of medicines helps healthcare professionals to select medicines that are less harmful to the environment in situations where there are several alternatives that provide equivalent treatment.

Benefits of the service

• Compare the environmental impacts of two or more equally effective and safe medicines and choose the safest alternative for the environment
• Find answers to questions from consumers and help them with questions related to the environmental impacts of medicines

The environmental classification is available in the Pharmaca Fennica online service

The environmental classification of medicines is available in the Pharmaca Fennica Premium online service where environmental information is seamlessly linked to other pharmaceutical information, such as information on the indications and dosage of medicines.

The source of the information used in the classification is the environmental classification of FASS, the Swedish prescribing guide, where environmental information has been used since 2005. The information has been tailored to the Finnish operating environment on the basis of Finland’s pharmaceutical sales statistics, for example. The classification has been carried out in cooperation with FASS and the Norwegian Felleskatalogen (the Norwegian product compendium), and the accuracy of the information is verified by an independent body, the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL).

The purpose of the environmental classification is not to reduce the use of medicines that are necessary for patients. Patients should continue with the medication prescribed by their physician. The environmental classification of medicines provides information for choosing the appropriate pharmacotherapy in addition to other information on medicines such as efficacy, safety, reimbursement status and price.