Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 - (Page 5) 5 Of Interest to Pharmacists Wisconsin pilot program urges consumers to get their meds out safely Judy Chi A Photo: Courtesy of Capital Returns Inc. six-month medication-return pilot program that differs somewhat from other drug-disposal programs in the country has started in two counties in Wisconsin. Although other programs have asked patients to return unwanted drugs to pharmacies or to mail them back, the Wisconsin pilot involves the use of a reverse distributor, Capital Returns Inc. (CRI). The Milwaukee-based company provides pharmaceutical returns management services to more than 40 drug manufacturers, chain pharmacies, drug wholesalers, and other pharmacies in the country. Under the pilot, called Get the Meds Out, when consumers in Waukesha and Winnebago Counties want to return an unused drug, they call a toll-free number at CRI ([800] 958-5859). CRI staff provides a prepaid shipping label and instructions on how to return their merchandise. Once residents receive their prepaid labels, they place their old medicine in a container for mailing back to CRI. Products received by CRI are then separated into their appropriate waste categories and incinerated. The entire process is free to consumers. According to Mary Hendrickson, RPh, director for quality and regulatory affairs for CRI, the company has received more than 1,200 calls since the pilot started in May, or an average of about a dozen calls a day. There are more than 500,000 potential participants in the two-county area. At present, consumers cannot return controlled substances to CRI, so outdated narcotics are still flushed down the toilet. However, Hendrickson told Drug Topics, the company hopes that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will provide an exemption for reverse distributors to handle these products. The pilot is a joint effort among CRI, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It is being paid for with a $36,000 grant from DNR and the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Hendrickson added that a manufacturer has expressed interest in taking part as well. She hopes that the pilot will be expanded to cover other counties down the line. Since a recent Associated Press series of articles drew attention to the presence of pharmaceutical waste in our water supply, many communities have initiated or expanded safe drug-disposal programs. One of the most A consumer putting old medications into an envelope to be shipped back to Capital Returns Inc. well-known programs is in Maine, where a drug mailback initiatve is also underway. Unlike the Wisconsin pilot, the Maine program involves pharmacies but does not make use of a reverse distributor. To get a fix on just how many drug take-back and disposal programs there are in this country, an online survey has been prepared by the Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety at www. mainebenzo.org/documents/AnnualSurveyof TakeBackandDisposalPrograms. Based in Houston, the foundation strives to improve patient safety through environmentally friendly ways. According to Matthew Mireles, a spokesman for the group, so far 30 programs have taken part in the survey and 20 more are in progress. The survey findings will be reported in the form of the first edition of the National Directory for Drug Take-Back and Disposal Programs at the 2008 International Symposium on Pharmaceuticals in the Home and Environment: Catalysts for Change, to be held in South Portland, Maine, in November. http://www.mainebenzo.org/documents/AnnualSurveyofTakeBackandDisposalPrograms http://www.mainebenzo.org/documents/AnnualSurveyofTakeBackandDisposalPrograms http://www.mainebenzo.org/documents/AnnualSurveyofTakeBackandDisposalPrograms
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 Analysis of a Medication Error Pilot Program Urges Safe Disposal of Medications Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 - Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 (Page 1) Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 - Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 (Page 2) Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 - Analysis of a Medication Error (Page 3) Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 - Analysis of a Medication Error (Page 4) Drug Topics - September 1, 2008 - Pilot Program Urges Safe Disposal of Medications (Page 5)
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