Pharmaceutical Footprint in the Environment: A Research Landscape and Bibliometric Analysis (1997-2024)

Pharmaceutical footprints refer to the environmental impacts of pharmaceutical production, including greenhouse gas emissions from raw material processing to disposal. Despite extensive research, the impact of pharmaceuticals on ecosystems remains a significant concern due to the lack of comprehensive literature on this topic. This study presents a critical analysis of the research landscape of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PHEN) using Bibliometric Analysis (BA). The Scopus database was utilised to analyse publications on PHEN from 1997 to 2024 by examining publication trends, key stakeholders, social networks, and thematic areas. The findings revealed 314 publications (comprising 198 articles, 97 reviews, and 19 conference papers) after identifying and screening publications from Scopus. The publication’s output and citation trends suggest that stakeholders’ interest in PHEN increased over the study period. The top researchers are D. À. Barceló and A. B. A. Boxall (with 7 publications each), whereas the Uniwersytet Gdański and the University of York are the top affiliations. The European Union and the United States are the top funders and countries. The PHEN research landscape is characterised by academic and industry collaborations, particularly in the United Kingdom. The keywords co-occurrence analysis revealed that PHEN research is currently focused on 3 main areas: “pharmaceutical environmental risk”, “aquatic pollution impact”, and “pharmaceutical drug research”. Future research should focus on developing integrated assessment models, innovative technologies, life cycle assessments, and cost-effective monitoring systems to enhance policy development and public awareness of human-environment pharmaceuticals.