Since 2014, Sharps Compliance has partnered with pharmacies, hospitals and clinics with on-site pharmacies, law enforcement agencies, and others to make approximately 3,000 MedSafe pharmaceutical collection kiosks accessible to ultimate users for the disposal of their home medicines. Those with unused/unwanted medications can – at no cost – bring their home medicines to a MedSafe unit for safe, DEA-complaint disposal. The program has generated an enthusiastic response: as of December 2018, over a million pounds of unused, ultimate-user medications have been deposited into MedSafe receptacles.
Continue reading “MedSafe Milestone: One Million Pounds – And Counting”
Category: Medication Disposal
Unused Medication Disposal Articles
Pharmaceutical waste is a serious matter and requires proper disposal to avoid potential hazards. Unused and expired medications that are thrown or flushed away can leech into our water or food supply. Drugs sitting around the house could be found and misused by children or taken by people who might abuse them.
This collection of unused medication disposal articles provides information on safe ways to dispose of medications. These articles focus on take-back programs that make it easy to do the right thing.
North Dakota Pharmacists Use MedSafe to Help Fight Opioid Abuse
North Dakota’s innovative approach to combating the opioid crisis in rural America involves stakeholders at every level – from pharmaceutical companies to the public. Although the state’s death rate from opioid overdoses is less than half the national average, officials were alarmed when it spiked in 2016. In response, the state launched several new initiatives that focused on education, front-line prevention, and drug collection/diversion using Sharps Compliance MedSafe Medication Disposal System kiosks.
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New Laws and Prescription Guidelines Target Opioid Abuse Crisis
In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expressed concern that physicians were contributing to the opioid epidemic by over-prescribing the drugs. Recent evidence shows that doctors paid attention. In July, Blue Cross Blue Shield reported 2017 numbers showing fewer opioid prescriptions and an increase in new prescriptions meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s chronic pain prescription guidelines.
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Part 2: Incineration – Safe, Cost-Effective, and EPA-Recommended Drug Disposal
As Americans’ use of prescription medications increases – a 2017 study found that 55% of the population regularly takes a prescription drug – safe disposal of unused medication is becoming a more challenging and urgent issue. Educating the public about the risks of improper disposal and offering safe options can protect communities and the environment.
Continue reading “Part 2: Incineration – Safe, Cost-Effective, and EPA-Recommended Drug Disposal”
Part 1: Drug Take-Back Programs – The Most Effective Disposal Solutions for Unused Medications
Proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals protects the community by keeping drugs away from our children and pets, off our streets, and out of the hands of abusers. Safe disposal also reduces the chance of drugs entering the water supply.
Continue reading “Part 1: Drug Take-Back Programs – The Most Effective Disposal Solutions for Unused Medications”