[Pharmwaste] CNN Health: Throwing away expired meds

[Matthew C. Mireles]

Jim, I live only a few miles from MD Anderson Cancer Center at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston.  A few years ago, someone did water quality test in the Braes Bayou which runs right by TMC and found high levels of cytotoxic compounds related to cancer treatment, as well as radioactive isotopes.  Areas around TMC are saturated with housings for MDACC patients and families. therefore, it is presumed that these compounds are entering the water system by human execretion.

Thanks for the info.  I'll look at your website and your data.

Matthew Mireles


-----Original Message-----
>From: Jim Mullowney <jmullowney at pharma-cycle.com>
>Sent: Oct 10, 2012 2:05 PM
>To: "'Fredrick L. Miller'" <millerfl at tricity.wsu.edu>, pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] CNN Health: Throwing away expired meds
>
>I wanted the group to know that Rhode Island has a Senate committee to look
>at drugs that are contained in human excrement specifically chemotherapy
>drugs, the first hearing is on October 17th. As you may know Pharma-cycle,
>Inc. collects the waste from patients undergoing certain chemotherapy
>treatments. Large volumes of cytotoxic drugs are excreted in the urine and
>stool of patients undergoing treatment with a limited number of chemicals,
>less than 25, excreted in their active form. Of the 25 drugs we've
>identified all of them are either on the NIOSH hazardous drug list or
>identified in the OSHA hazardous drug policy and are known to cause Cancer,
>Birth Defects, or Miscarriages in others. Our website has detailed
>information on how these drugs get into the environment as well as the
>amount of the chemicals that are being excreted. Would you please let the
>group know about www.pharma-cycle.com and we would appreciate any feedback
>to the science that we provided.
>We feel strongly that the battle against drugs and the environment has to
>start with the most dangerous chemicals ever made, cytotoxic chemotherapy
>drugs.
>Thank you for your help
>
>Jim Mullowney, President
>Pharma-Cycle Inc
>www.pharma-cycle.com
>Direct: 617-755-0883
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Fredrick L.
>Miller
>Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 2:48 PM
>To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] CNN Health: Throwing away expired meds
>
>The Army conducted/conducts the same kind of research on preserved foods.
>Believe it or not, the Army is one of the largest employers of veterinarians
>because they've found vets to be well suited to the task of dealing with
>food safety and vector control.
>
>Fred
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Volkman,
>Jennifer (MPCA)
>Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 11:41 AM
>To: Matthew C. Mireles; pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] CNN Health: Throwing away expired meds
>
>I find this interesting because I've noticed that some common OTC cold
>medicines seem to now have an expiration date of one year, following the
>generic advice for many prescriptions--which is to toss after one year. I
>read further into the comments to see if anything beyond the usual whining
>came up and I found this from one commentor:
>
>"This article is on the right track. Unfortunately, it doesn't go deep
>enough.
>
>The U.S. military has been investigating this for over thirty years. In fact
>they commissioned the FDA to do an extensive study. This program is called
>the Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP).
>
>Why haven't you heard about this program, because it is classified. This
>program has established the true measured shelf life of many common
>medications. It found that 90% of medications are made up of stable
>molecules and were effective and still within new manufacture guidelines
>much later than their expiration date, many after 10 and even 15 years.
>
>Quotes from FDA researchers tell you the real story:
>
>"Manufacturers put expiration dates on for marketing, rather than
>scientific, reasons,"
>"It's not the job of the FDA to be concerned about a consumer's economic
>interest."
>"With a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some
>liquid antibiotics - most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency
>has tested for the military."
>
>Contrary to the wailing from the penut gallery here, antibiotics cipro,
>tetracycline, and penicillin we found to be still effective after ten years.
>That is not to say they stop being effective at that time, but rather that
>was how old the lots were that they were testing.
>
>The real issue here is about marketing and liability. Companies have a
>self-serving financial benefit not to have extended expiration period. Also,
>they have no control over how the medication is stored and used. Although,
>one medication tested was stored where the daytime temperature was routinely
>135 degrees(F). It was tested at its experation date and found to have no
>degradation."
>
>So, it seems it would be beneficial to find this study and see what could be
>learned from it. It appears there is justification for more accurate dating
>and better patient education.
>________________________________________
>From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>[pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] on behalf of Matthew C. Mireles
>[mirelesmc at earthlink.net]
>Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 9:11 AM
>To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
>Subject: [Pharmwaste] CNN Health: Throwing away expired meds
>
>You may be interested in this story by CNN Health...
>
>Are we throwing away 'expired' medications too soon?
>http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/08/health/throwing-away-expired-meds/index.html?h
>pt=he_c2
>
>
>Matthew Mireles
>
>Please note that my new email address is mirelesmc at gmail.com effective Sept
>6, 2012.
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Please note that my new email address is mirelesmc at gmail.com effective Sept 6, 2012.