The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health and Pharmaceuticals

Pono Pono, Alan M Jones

Climate change and air pollution affect nearly every major organ system, altering both the presentation of disease and patient responses to pharmaceutical treatments. However, existing knowledge on how patients, healthcare professionals, and governments should prepare for these challenges is fragmented. Climate change contributes to premature mortality, increased morbidity, and exacerbation of pre‑existing conditions across cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, and dermatological systems. Additional impacts include climate‑sensitive infectious diseases, mental health disorders, pregnancy complications, adverse in vitro fertilisation (IVF) outcomes, congenital anomalies, and climate‑induced drug toxicities.
Emerging evidence shows that climate variables—particularly temperature and humidity—can directly affect medication stability, bioavailability, and pharmacokinetics. For example, elevated temperatures may degrade active pharmaceutical ingredients, while humidity can accelerate disintegration of hygroscopic tablets, increasing the risk of dose dumping and adverse events. Extreme weather events may also disrupt pharmaceutical supply chains, compounding risks to patient care.
This review synthesises evidence to (i) identify diseases, populations, and medications most affected by climate change, and (ii) anticipate how pharmaceutical interventions will need to adapt. The findings highlight the urgent need for integrated research exploring the interplay between climate change, therapeutic response, and drug safety to support resilient, climate‑ready healthcare systems