Recycling Unused Medication To Save Lives
In a 2012 survey, over a quarter (28%) of American adults with chronic conditions reported skipping doses or not filling a prescription because they could not afford to pay for it. Among those who were uninsured or under-insured, rates of cost-related problems getting medications were 30-60%*. At the same time, hospitals, pharmacies, manufacturers and nursing homes dispose of unused medications worth billions of dollars every year, much of which is dumped or burned and ends up in the water we drink and the air we breathe.
"The costs of prescription medications have reached crisis levels," says
State legislatures began taking action on pharmaceutical donation and reuse programs in 1997. These programs create repositories that provide for unused prescription drugs to be donated and re-dispensed to patients. As of mid-2016, 38 states have enacted donation and reuse laws although not all these states have functioning programs.
"The goal of the
The pharmacy receives unused, unopened, and unexpired medications from licensed healthcare facilities. The drugs most commonly distributed are for asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression. Because of the unpredictable nature of donations and demand, inventory is constantly changing and specific medications may not always be available. Commonly stocked drugs are listed on the pharmacy's web site and patients are advised to phone in advance for an inventory check.
"Patients who take less medication than directed are not only risking their health and perhaps even their lives," says
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Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey , 2012; http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Fund%20Report/2013/Apr/1681_Collins_insuring_future_biennial_survey_2012_FINAL.pdf
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/elderconsult/RecyclingUnusedMedicati/prweb14087897.htm
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