Akesa has announced the introduction of formal carbon reduction targets, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability while focusing on the broader challenge of reducing waste across the pharmaceutical supply chain.
From its FY25 baseline, Akesa has committed to a 5% year-on-year reduction in operational emissions through to 2030, in line with international best practice.
While the company’s direct footprint is relatively small, Akesa recognises that its greatest opportunity to support meaningful change lies in reducing inefficiencies across the wider clinical and commercial supply ecosystem.
“Our emissions footprint as a company is modest, but our opportunity to drive systemic change is significant,” said Nicholas Brittain, Chief Operating Officer, Akesa.
Industry analysis shows a significant proportion of medicines manufactured for clinical trials are discarded, often due to trial cancellation, protocol changes, or the inability to reallocate or return unused stock.
Industry analysis highlights the scale of waste in clinical research, with studies showing between 20%[1] and 50%[2] of clinical trial drugs go to waste due to ineffective supply management associated with conservative forecasting, trial amendments or cancellations.
Each instance of wasted supply carries a manufacturing and transport footprint that compounds the sector’s environmental impact, not to mention significant financial cost.
To address this, Akesa is scaling its digital on-demand supply solutions:
- Clincor: enabling clinical trial sponsors to access comparator and co-therapy medicines in real time, reducing the need for bulk supply and minimising the risk of overproduction and waste.
- Aksys: creating managed access and private script pathways, providing hospitals and healthcare professionals with on-demand access to registered products, avoiding unnecessary stockpiling.
“By leveraging existing supply chains, Akesa provides reliable on-demand supply solutions that minimise wastage associated with forecasting errors, temperature excursions, product expiry, and stockpiling. We’re helping the industry cut waste at its source — reducing unnecessary manufacturing, packaging, and global transport emissions,” said Mr Brittain.
Akesa continues to work with stakeholders throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain to create alternative pathways to medicines that not only improve patient access but also help the pharmaceutical industry address the dual challenges of cost and carbon.
[1] Oximio “Pharmaceutical Waste Management: Clinical Trials”, 2025. Oximio
[2] IQVIA “Reducing Waste with Intelligent Automation Accelerates Clinical Trial Success”, 2024–25. IQVIA+1
