[Pharmwaste] Not sure how to get rid of extra opioids or antibiotics? The pharmacy may not know, either

Deborah DeBiasi deborah.debiasi at deq.virginia.gov
Wed Jan 1 08:28:15 EST 2020


It’s surprising, and concerning that pharmacies are still giving out
incorrect information.  We still have work to do.



*Not sure how to get rid of extra opioids or antibiotics? The pharmacy may
not know, either*

*By Shelby Lin Erdman, CNN*

Updated 6:35 PM ET, Tue December 31, 2019

* (CNN)*When it comes to getting rid of prescription drugs, fewer than half
of the pharmacies surveyed for a new study gave accurate guidance that met
US Food and Drug Administration standards for disposing of unused opioids
and antibiotics.

Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco
<https://www.ucsf.edu/news>surveyed nearly 900 California pharmacies by
phone over a two-month period in 2018 during the week and on weekends. For
the study, published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine
<https://annals.org/aim>, researchers posed as parents with leftover
opioids and antibiotics from a child's surgery.

They were looking for correct drug disposal instructions based on US Food
and Drug Administration guidelines
<https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines>.


The agency recommends taking unused medications to drug disposal or
takeback programs as the best way of getting rid of unused or unwanted
drugs. If a disposal program is not available, the agency suggests mixing
antibiotics with coffee grinds or kitty litter, sealing the mixture in a
container and throwing it in the garbage. It recommends flushing opioids.



Researchers found only 47% of pharmacies gave correct instructions on how
to dispose of antibiotics and 34% provided correct information about opioid
disposal. On weekends, only 15% correctly directed customers about safe
antibiotic disposal and 7% gave the correct information about disposing of
opioids.



When asked about takeback programs at the 898 pharmacies, 91 said they had
a program for antibiotic disposal and 82 said they had a program for opioid
disposal.



"This clearly points to the need for better dissemination of information on
proper medication disposal," Hillary Copp, senior study author and
associate professor of urology at UCSF, said in a statement.



"The FDA has specific instructions
<https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know>
on how to dispose of these medications, and the American Pharmacists
Association has adopted this as their standard. Yet it's not being given to
the consumer correctly the majority of the time," Copp said.

The improper disposal of medication can result in antibiotic resistance,
pollution, child and pet poisonings and drug misuse.





Deborah L. DeBiasi

*Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov
<Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov>*WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Water Permits
State Coordinator for Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)
Programs
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents

http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx

http://www.deq.virginia.gov/DentalRule.aspx

Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218
Location:  1111 E. Main Street, Suite 1400  Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028
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