The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in natural water is considered as an environmental problem due to their regular input in aquatic system and hence their removal becomes a challenging task. The present study provides information about the occurrence of pharmaceutical contaminants in water and their treatment. The advancement of distinct treatment processes for the removal of active pharmaceutical ingredients in wastewater has been described. The main objective of this study is to summarize the latest studies of the degradation of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs by heterogeneous photocatalysis. This study also highlights the effect of various operational parameters on degradation efficiency, kinetics and mineralization of various pharmaceutical compounds during the process. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.