Activities related to human medicines in Romania: Legal environmental protection issues

•Romania needs specific regulations to create a coherent pharmaceutical waste management system.•Good research practice rules should prevent marketing authorisation of human medicines with environmental risk.•Good manufacturing and distribution practice rules should establish preventive and corrective environmental obligations.•Good pharmacy practice rules should lead to a standardized practice for the collection and disposal of unused medicines.•All pharmaceutical enterprises should have a legal responsibility for the disposal of waste resulted from human medicines.