[Pharmwaste] Haiti drug donations

Sat Jan 16 09:45:59 EST 2010

www.PQMD.org <http://www.pqmd.org/>  has just updated their web page
with a public guidance around not collecting individual leftover drugs
for Haiti, and also advising on how best to contribute humanitarian aid.
Masses of unidentifiable donations will clog up an already strained
infrastructure. 

The web page link I would encourage being redistributed. 

Stevan Gressitt, M.D., Medical Director

Office of Adult Mental Health Services

Department of Health and Human Services

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Augusta, ME  04333-0011

Ph: (207)287-4273

Fax: (207)287-1022

Cell Phone: (207) 441-0291

E-Mail : stevan.gressitt at maine.gov

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mh/

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Drug and medical product makers and other health
care companies are pledging to donate at least $15.5 million in cash and
products to help victims of Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti.
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Haiti/>  

That amounts to almost one-third of the donations-totaling at least $48
million-announced by corporations and their foundations by Friday
afternoon. 

Besides donating cash to various relief groups, pharmaceutical companies
and medical product makers were preparing or have sent products to treat
injured people, as well as medicines for patients who had lost their
supply. The industry typically offers such help after a major disaster. 

The charitable alliance Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Quality+Medical+Donations/>  said 10
members had pledged a total of $7.3 million worth of products and $4.6
million in cash. Some of those gifts have not yet been publicly
disclosed, as details are still being finalized. 

Biotech company Amgen Inc. said it will donate $2 million in cash.
Medical supplier Henry Schein
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Henry+Schein/>  is giving $1 million worth
of products, major health insurers
<http://topics.breitbart.com/health+insurers/>  are giving at least
$350,000 and other health companies plan to offer aid but haven't yet
decided its financial value. 

Drug store chains also are helping, with $100,000 pledged by Walgreen
Co. and $50,000 from Rite Aid Corp. 

Lori Warrens, executive director of the partnership, said some members
are still figuring out what they'll give in cash and how much in
product. 

"People are applying the lessons learned from the (2004 Asian) tsunami
and (Hurricane) Katrina. They've learned not to move too fast," she
said. 

Warrens said the companies are trying to learn which of their products
are needed most and ensure there will be appropriate staff in Haiti
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Haiti/>  to deliver and then administer
medication. 

Pfizer Inc. <http://topics.breitbart.com/Pfizer+Inc/>  is supplying
hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of the blood pressure medication
Norvasc, pain killers <http://topics.breitbart.com/pain+killers/>  and
the cholesterol drug Lipitor. Spokesman Ray Kerins
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Ray+Kerins/>  said the company can move
fast because it has an office in the Dominican Republic,
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Dominican+Republic/>  which is on the same
island as Haiti, <http://topics.breitbart.com/Haiti/>  and large
manufacturing operations
<http://topics.breitbart.com/manufacturing+operations/>  in nearby
countries. 

Merck & Co. <http://topics.breitbart.com/Merck+%26+Co/>  is giving
$350,000 in cash to help fund emergency response units, blankets, clean
water, temporary shelter, food and medical supplies. It plans to ship
$200,000 worth of its medicines, including ulcer drug Pepcid, Coricidin
cold medicine and ringworm treatment Lotrimin. 

"We were on the first airlifts into Haiti,
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Haiti/> " said Sarah Alspach,
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Sarah+Alspach/>  a spokeswoman for
Britain's <http://topics.breitbart.com/Britain/>  GlaxoSmithKline PLC,
<http://topics.breitbart.com/GlaxoSmithKline+PLC/>  which sent medicines
worth roughly $1.2 million-mainly oral and topical antibiotics including
Augmentin, plus heartburn antidote Zantac. 

"We immediately shipped Johnson & Johnson disaster relief modules with
large quantities of our consumer and over-the-counter products,"
including Tylenol, Neosporin and bandages, said spokeswoman Carol
Goodrich. <http://topics.breitbart.com/Carol+Goodrich/>  The company is
giving unspecified cash gifts to relief groups. 

Drug and device maker Abbott Laboratories
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Abbott+Laboratories/>  said it will provide
$1 million worth of cash and pharmaceutical and nutritional products. 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
<http://topics.breitbart.com/Bristol-Myers+Squibb+Co/>  is donating
$200,000 and a large amount of antibiotics. 

Another $250,000 is coming from Eli Lilly & Co. 

Medical technology maker BD <http://topics.breitbart.com/BD/>  is
donating $550,000 and will donate up to $500,000 worth of needles,
syringes, intravenous catheters and blood collection tubes. 

And health insurers <http://topics.breitbart.com/health+insurers/>
UnitedHealth Group Inc.
<http://topics.breitbart.com/UnitedHealth+Group+Inc/>  and Humana Inc.
donated $150,000 and $100,000, respectively. Cigna Corp. said it's
donating $50,000 and has pledged to match up to $50,000 in employee
donations, both to the American Red Cross.
<http://topics.breitbart.com/American+Red+Cross/>  

Aetna Inc. <http://topics.breitbart.com/Aetna+Inc/>  said it will expand
benefits for staff, plan members and families affected by the earthquake
in Haiti, <http://topics.breitbart.com/Haiti/>  including paying for
some medical evacuations. 

Warrens said the partnership was urging the public and local charities
not to collect unused medications or free drug samples for earthquake
victims. <http://topics.breitbart.com/earthquake+victims/>  

"It's well-intentioned, but it's dangerous," she said, because the
medicines might not have been stored properly and might not include
instructions essential for safe administration. 
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or 

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