<p><br clear="all">September 12, 2010<br>Announcement from the Institute for Medicine Safety<br> <br>On September 25th, 2010, the U.S. D.E.A. will be sponsoring a first in the nation national drug drop-off day that meets all state and Federal requirements. It may be that other organizations plan similar, or other activities, on the same date that may not meet Federal requirements. It is important that any individuals involved, from event organizers to any assisting health care providers, recognize that they are responsible for even the inadvertent possession of controlled drugs, which is forbidden by law without prior written authorization received from the U.S. D.E.A. Regional Office. <br>
<br>The Institute testified before a U.S. Senate Subcommittee this summer and is pleased that the U.S. Senate has unanimously, and without any partisanship, passed legislation enabling the U.S. D.E.A. to develop regulations to reduce medication diversion. Maine continues to have the only legal mail-back pilot in the country for all classes of drugs for all residents.<br>
<br>An International Prescription Drug Conference, the oldest in Maine and the oldest drug disposal conference in the world will be held in Portland October 10-12, 2010. See <a href="http://www.benzos.une.edu/">www.benzos.une.edu</a> for more information. </p>
<p><br> <br>Institute for Medicine Safety<br>A collaborative of the School of Pharmacy, Husson University, The Center on Aging, University of Maine and The Colleges of Pharmacy and Osteopathic Medicine of the University of New England</p>
<p><a href="http://www.benzos.une.edu/">http://www.benzos.une.edu</a> <br><a href="http://safemeddisposal.com/">http://safemeddisposal.com</a> <br><a href="http://www.husson.edu/pharmacy">http://www.husson.edu/pharmacy</a> </p>
<p>Purpose of the Institute:</p>
<p>The Institute for Medicine Safety was formed to encourage best practices and best policy regarding the safe use of medicines, to discourage their misuse, and to provide assistance in preventing abuse of pharmaceuticals across their life cycle. A major focus is addressing unused medication disposal practices and policy development and regulatory development and sustainable funding mechanisms. </p>
<p>History and background: </p>
<p>The Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group was formed in 2001 as an independent group of clinicians, private sector, governmental, and non-governmental organizations with a Steering Committee that emphasized geographic disparity and multidisciplinary engagement. By 2005, its annual conference had become a large undertaking, with national and international attendance. Professor Len Kaye of the University of Maine Center on Aging, who was engaged with improving safety in medication for the elderly offered to provide logistical support. </p>
<p>The Group successfully initiated legislation in 2005, in consultation with the Director of Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Roy McKinney, which enabled a mail-back program in the State of Maine that could accept Drug Enforcement Administration controlled substances. A grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was awarded in 2007, which permitted a test for proof of concept within the State of Maine. The grant was successfully completed in 2010. To continue this valuable project, further funding was obtained with the support and assistance of the Maine Health and Human Services Committee. The funding allowed for expansion to a statewide collection program that will operate until funding is exhausted or the program becomes sustainable through the efforts of the Institute. Data from the pilot was useful in helping draw attention to the problems of adherence, compliance, and concordance as well as the difficulties in addressing prescription drug abuse. A State of Maine policy curtailing the number of days of medications given for first prescriptions of certain drug classes covered by MaineCare was instituted to curtail waste and improve adherence. </p>
<p>The drug return programs across the country remain the only programs that actually remove unused pharmaceuticals and personal care products from harm’s way. There is rapidly growing interest by state, local and federal governments, pharmacists, physicians, and non-governmental organizations in increasing the number of collection programs at the municipal, county, state, and even national levels. Reasons include the increase in unintentional poisonings, intentional abuse, adherence issues, and recognition of the potential environmental impacts of pharmaceuticals. There is considerable, unique and broad-based experience in Maine, which has been publicly recognized by clinicians and policymakers on the state and federal level. The conference presented by the Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group has become the oldest and most comprehensive prescription drug abuse conference in the State and the oldest continuous, comprehensive drug disposal conference in the United States. We are unaware of any older annual drug disposal conference elsewhere in the world. The Institute was formed in June 2010 to coordinate various efforts and absorbed the Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group and the Drug Disposal Group. <br>
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<p><br>Alphabetical listing of Institute Founders </p>
<p><br>Stevan Gressitt, M.D. <br>Faculty Associate, University of Maine Center on Aging<br>Founding Director, Maine Institute for Safe Medicine<br>University of New England, College of Pharmacy<br>Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences <br>
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry<br>University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine<br>716 Stevens Avenue <br>Portland, Maine 04103 <br>Cell: 207-441-0291 <br>E-mail: <a href="mailto:gressitt@gmail.com">gressitt@gmail.com</a> </p>
<p>Marc B. Hahn, D.O.<br>College of Osteopathic Medicine<br>Dean and Senior Vice President for Health Affairs<br>Phone: 207-602-2340 <br>E-mail: <a href="mailto:DeanUNECOM@une.edu">DeanUNECOM@une.edu</a> </p>
<p>Lenard W. Kaye, D.S.W./Ph.D.<br>Director, University of Maine Center on Aging <br>Administrator, Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group<br>Camden Hall<br>25 Texas Avenue <br>Bangor, Maine 04401-4324<br><a href="http://www.mainecenteronaging.org/">www.mainecenteronaging.org</a> <br>
phone: 207-262-7920 <br>E-mail: <a href="mailto:len.kaye@umit.maine.edu">len.kaye@umit.maine.edu</a> </p>
<p><br>Rodney A. Larson, Ph.D., R.Ph. <br>Founding Dean <br>School of Pharmacy<br>Husson University<br>1 College Circle <br>Bangor, Maine 04401-2929 <br>Phone: 207-941-7163 <br>Email: <a href="mailto:LarsonR@husson.edu">LarsonR@husson.edu</a> </p>
<p>Roy E. McKinney, Director<br>Maine Drug Enforcement Agency<br>166 State House Station<br>45 Commerce Dr., Suite 1<br>Augusta, ME 04333-0166<br>Phone: 207-626-3852 </p>
<p>John V. Schloss, Ph.D.<br>Professor and Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences<br>University of New England<br>College of Pharmacy, Room 320<br>716 Stevens Avenue<br>Portland, Maine 04103-2670<br>Phone: 207-221-4151 <br>E-mail <a href="mailto:jschloss@une.edu">jschloss@une.edu</a> </p>
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<p>Institute Policy:<br>1. Support legislation regarding collection, return, and disposal of prescription drugs and evaluation that improves prescribing practices to diminish waste and improve prescription concordance; increases compliance and adherence rates; and reduces diversion and abuse.<br>
2. Support development of a peer-reviewed publication for advancement of improved drug disposal options, and support formation of a National Drug Return and Disposal Institute, and an International Association of Drug Return and Disposal Organizations. This is to encourage sharing of information and a site for recognition of best practice, regulatory adherence, and data collection. <br>
3. Support best international practices to avoid unused medicine being inappropriately donated to disaster areas.<br>4. Encourage dissemination of relevant news and information, specifically on improving lifecycle management of pharmaceuticals.</p>
<p>Sustainability:<br>5. Seek funding to continue the Maine mailback program and the Institute in order to foster national and international replication and to hold at least one annual meeting in the State of Maine to address pharmaceutical life-cycle issues.<br>
6. Explore and assist developing models of expansion of drug disposal (mailback, event driven, and other continuously available models) to determine best and most cost effective data collection.</p>
<p>Educational Obligation:<br>7. Provide support to prescribers and organizations at local, state and national levels, particularly those engaged in the federally-mandated service of “medication management.”<br>8. Enrich current relationships with federal, state and local governments, corporations and non-governmental organizations. Ensure responsiveness to requests for data, evaluation, and comment within available resources.<br>
9. Provide specific support for endorsement of the Athens Declaration of 2007, the Istanbul Statement of 2009, and the Maine Proclamation of 2009.</p>
<p>Research:<br>10. Encourage drug disposal organizations to collect data to improve public and patient health care outcomes, and to determine the post market surveillance potential of drug disposal systems for counterfeit identification, adverse drug-drug event identification, and abuse prevention.<br>
11. Identify current and emerging data sources for geographic or physical technology library development, and participate in that process.<br>12. Collect, analyze/compile, and disseminate data from take-back programs regarding patient compliance/adherence to prescribed therapy. <br>
13. Conduct drug utilization review (DUR) studies on the data collected from take-back programs. </p>
<p><br>Stevan Gressitt, M.D.<br>Faculty Associate, University of Maine Center on Aging<br>Academic Member, Athens Institute for Education and Research<br>Athens, Greece<br>Founding Director, Institute for Medicine Safety<br>
University of New England, College of Pharmacy<br>Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences <br>Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry<br>University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine<br>716 Stevens Avenue Portland, Maine 04103 <br>
Cell: 207-441-0291 <br>E-mail: <a href="mailto:gressitt@gmail.com">gressitt@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://www.benzos.une.edu/">http://www.benzos.une.edu</a> <a href="http://www.safemeddisposal.com/">www.safemeddisposal.com</a> <br>
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