[Pharmwaste] Pharmaceutical reuse - LA Times

[Gilliam, Allen]

Thanx for the update Cynthia,

Is there a compilation somewhere of states that have passed any form of =
legislation regarding this issue?

And, has the grant been awarded for the formation of a national/central =
repository or information dissemination group to get this type info =
"out" for national consistency?  I haven't heard anything from PSI yet.

Allen gilliam
Adeq state pretreatment coordinator
501.682.0625

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Los Angeles Times

                              May 23, 2005 Monday
                                  Home Edition

SECTION: HEALTH; Features Desk; Part F; Pg. 6

LENGTH: 396 words

HEADLINE: Taking matters into their own hands;
Consumer advocates and some doctors make arrangements to give donated =
medication to needy patients.

BYLINE: Daniel Costello, Times Staff Writer

BODY:=A0=A0=A0To help people cope with rising prescription drug prices, =
some individuals, groups, doctors and states are distributing unused =
prescription drugs to patients who can't afford them.=A0=A0=A0In =
Baltimore, advocates Pearl Lewis and Alexis Southworth have organized an =
increasingly well-known donation system in which consumers drop off =
unused high-blood pressure medications, pain drugs and even unused =
cancer and organ transplant medications.=A0=A0=A0They store the drugs -- =
up to $15,000 worth on one recent afternoon -- in Southworth's =
refrigerator. Within 30 days after someone donates medication, they drop =
it off to a doctor who agrees to pass it along, or sometimes they give =
the medication directly to patients who contact them for help, says =
Southworth.=A0=A0=A0Pedro Rodriguez, director of the Action Alliance of =
Senior Citizens in Philadelphia, is using a model more akin to music =
file-sharing: He allows patients to post notes at a center on who has =
extra medication or who needs some and then helps them link up on their =
own.=A0=A0=A0Because so many people try new medications that don't work =
or know of family members who have passed away or no longer need =
specific medications, "a lot of people want to find something useful to =
do with it other than flush it down the toilet," Rodriguez =
said.=A0=A0=A0Some doctors are even collecting unused drugs from some =
patients and redirecting them to those who can't afford =
them.=A0=A0=A0(Although doctors often have free samples for patients, =
they're usually only for newer drugs that pharmaceutical companies are =
promoting. Older drugs that many patients rely on are harder to come =
by.)=A0=A0=A0It's unclear how legal these sharing arrangements are, =
especially those that don't involve a doctor. And many doctors remain =
wary about passing along unused drugs to another patient, especially if =
they're not in their original packaging.=A0=A0=A0Still, those organizing =
such sharing systems say they are only doing what several states have =
begun to do. Some states, including Oklahoma, Louisiana and Ohio, have =
passed legislation in recent years that allows unused drugs from nursing =
homes and pharmacies to be distributed to poor patients through =
community clinics. Texas and California are currently considering =
similar measures.=A0=A0=A0"If they come up with a better way for us to =
help these people get the drugs they need, let me know," said =
Southworth, of Baltimore. "Until then, this is working out OK."






Cynthia L. Greene
Senior Advisor
US EPA New England
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 (SPP)
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Tel: 617-918-1813
Fax: 617-918-0813
greene.cynthia@epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/region1/solidwaste/index.html

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